


Target

by maryhell



Category: NCIS
Genre: M/M, Male Slash, Multi, Threesome - M/M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-29
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-04-23 23:22:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 41,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4896235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maryhell/pseuds/maryhell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a series of unfortunate incidents, Tony joins the dots and realizes someone is out to kill him. The question is whether someone inside NCIS is assisting or contracting the killer. This is SLASH M/M AND M/M/M</p>
<p>There will be some character pulling apart before innocence or guilt is established. Everyone is vulnerable. So if you are not prepared to face the personal faults/traits of the MCRT then don’t read. Particularly in the firing line is Ziva, McGee and Abby. So, if you can't read anything against these three - STAY AWAY - Consider yourself warned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> THIS STORY is in no way connected with my other stories. However, given the positive response to the cast, I’m reviving their dynamic – with one or two changes. Also, I am going to assume all those reading are aware of the main NCIS events and characters. 
> 
> BEWARE: 
> 
> A) THIS IS A SLASH STORY - M/M/M and M/M  
> B) There will be some character pulling apart before innocence or guilt is established. Everyone is vulnerable. So if you are not prepared to face the personal faults/traits of the MCRT then don’t read.  
> Disclaimer – In no way shape or form do I own anything relating to NCIS. Nor do I earn anything monetary from publishing this story. All I hope for are a few reviews and some kudos.   
> Enjoy.

**Chapter One**

Slowly, to the telltale sound of machines, Tony became aware of the things around him. The aching sensation of a locked jaw and the hiss of oxygen suggested it was pointless trying to talk. He’d experienced the feelings before – he had a tube down his throat. The consistent beep, beep, beep of a heart monitor was one he was familiar with too. Lastly, his body ached. Yet, the drunken numbness associated with what he suspected was morphine dulled his willingness to care. He opened his lids slightly and dragged his gaze over his immediate vicinity, and closed them again when the scenery wasn’t in sync with his line of vision.

Tony wanted to both, laugh and cry. He’d survived again. But, this was the closest X had come to succeeding.

Working through the sauced spaghetti in his brain, he calculated the odds for which hospital he was in. It had to be the Bethesda. The crime scene had been within a half hour journey of the Navy yard. Not only that, but Tony recognized the smell of the place. He suspected it had something to do with the concentration of the cleaning fluid used by the staff. Every hospital he’d had the misfortune to be a guest of had its own identifying uniqueness.

Through the haze of pain relief, Tony thought back to the incident which had put him in need of medical assistance.

..oOo..

_“DiNozzo. Go search the house,” Gibbs barked in his usual uncompromising way._

_“Yes, Boss.”_

_Tony left Gibbs and the rest of the MCRT in the barn, processing the scene of the dead Marine. He headed toward the main house, where two LEO’s were standing guard at the bottom of the steps that led to the front door. The local force had already given the house the all clear. According to them, the  crime scene was the barn over a hundred yards away. Nevertheless, they kept guard as they knew NCIS would want to take a look. In theory, there was only information to gather regarding the Marine’s life and habits. Tony was hopeful he’d find some morsel that would give them an insight, maybe even a reason for his demise._

_That being said, given Tony’s recent series of unfortunate accidents, he was on alert. He approached the house with caution, sniffing the air for signs of anything unusual. Simultaneously, he listened and looked for anything his spidey senses tingled at. As he got closer, he couldn’t, see, hear or smell anything wrong. Yet, he unconsciously slowed his pace._

_“Shift your ass, DiNozzo. It’s a crime scene, not a picnic.”_

_The angry bellow of his superior almost lifted Tony onto the wooden steps ahead. No matter how ‘off’ Gibbs had been since he returned from Mexico, the man still had the ability to make people jump – and Tony was no exception – albeit, it irked him._

_“Shifting Boss,” was the last words Tony yelled as he leaped onto the porch deck. In fact, they were the last words Tony spoke at the scene, as seconds later there was a massive explosion, and Tony was hurled across the garden. He landed in a heap, unconscious._

_Tony had no idea of how much time passed before his senses kicked in again. Through the ringing in his ears, he heard remote shouts and sirens.  He briefly attempted to open his eyes, but smoke stung them. He couldn’t feel his arm and pain shot through his chest whenever he drew in a breath.  Something heavy had trapped his legs, and every time he moved his body, sharp debris  scratched his skin._

_In the distance, he could hear anxious shouts of, “Tony. Tony!” soon followed by weight being lifted from his torso and more concerned words of, “Tony. Can you hear me?”_

_The gruff voice was easily recognizable, but Tony didn’t have the energy to answer._

_He willingly slipped back into unconsciousness._

_..oOo.._

From his bed, Tony could see night was turning into day and could hear the soft unmistakable buzzing ‘bumble bee’ sounding snores of Jimmy by his side. The moment Tony moved, Jimmy was awake calling for help.

Tony’s suspicions of his whereabouts were confirmed when Brad walked in with a chart and a smile. “We have to stop meeting like this, Very Special Agent DiNozzo,” Tony grunted at the humor in his friend’s voice. Everyone was aware, the men knew each other. Yet, few knew of their association outside of hospital walls. Their close friendship was one of those things that blossomed after Tony had the plague. Since then, said doctor was the only MD at Bethesda a certain Very Special Agent would allow as the primary name on his case notes. Within NCIS, he trusted Ducky in the field and trusted Jimmy with everything – secrets and all. But, it was Brad that was his official doctor; a development backed by Ducky, considering the delicate nature of his lungs after the Plague incident.

Brad checked Tony’s vitals’ and made his notes.  “Let’s get that tube out, shall we?” All Tony could do was grunt again. Brad knew by the tone, what each grunt meant. “You know the drill, Tony.”

 With a nurse and Jimmy in assistance, the tube was removed. While the nurse took care of the tube and associated attachments, Tony was made comfortable and his sore throat soothed with ice chips.  When the nurse closed the door behind her, Brad perched on the side of the bed. He asked the questions that established Tony’s cognizance and after Tony’s rasped replies, he was satisfied that Tony’s brain was fully functioning.

Brad took Tony’s hand in his. “I know you want all the facts, and you’re an impatient SOB, but I want you to get some rest for a couple of hours and then, as soon as I’ve done my rounds, I’ll be back to explain everything.” Then Brad turned to Jimmy. “Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

“You have my word Brad,” Jimmy said with a smile and a small salute.

Internally, Tony growled at the men, but his throat felt as though he’d swallowed a goa’uld snake with razors for fins. So, for one of the few times in his life, he closed his eyes and did as he was told.

A while later Brad re-entered the room. He settled beside his patient and wrapped his fingers around Tony’s. “You want it straight, I know.”

Tony squeezed Brad’s hand and raised an eyebrow. He was still a touch groggy but was glad to finally get some answers.

Brad smiled, “In Tony language - your left arm is busted good along with a four of your ribs, one of which punctured a lung. Hence, the difficulty breathing, and subsequent intubation. A dagger sized chunk of wood lodged above your hip, and I lost count of the cuts caused by other shards of wood and metal scattered over your body. Your legs are heavily bruised but not broken, and you’ve been out of it for six days. Do you remember much about the incident itself?”

Tony rasped, “Oh yeah. Every detail.”

“By the looks of it, the door blowing off its hinges and slamming into you protected you from the lethal part of the blast. The other good news is that your manhood is intact and, I’m sure, will be functional – probably before you’re in a good enough working order to use it.”

Tony nodded his appreciation at his friends’ honesty and understanding over his favorite body part. Then, he frowned and croaked, “What about the LEO’s?”

Brad sighed and carefully rubbed his thumbs over Tony’s hand, avoiding the IV line. “Sorry, Tony. They weren’t as lucky as you. Both sustained injuries to the spine and back of the head. One died at the scene and the other, if he wakes, will be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.”

Tony took a stuttered breath to calm himself. 

Brad leaned in and gave Tony a kiss on the head, “I’ll let you get some rest while I make a call to your entourage. You know, they were here on a Rota system for the first forty-eight hours but got called in after that. Gibbs left strict instructions that I was to let him know when you woke, but I thought you’d like some time out before the onslaught of your team.”

Before Brad could shift his weight from the bed, Tony grabbed his wrist to stop him. Brad resettled in his position with a frown of curiosity. Tony tried to speak, but his throat balked. He looked to Jimmy for assistance.

“Um, Brad. I don’t think Tony wants you to tell his colleagues anything at the moment?”

Tony looked at Jimmy in appreciation and nodded at his friend’s correct interpretation of his actions. Brad, on the other hand, was confused. “Please, Brad. I’m sure Tony will tell you everything when he’s more awake. But, for now, would you mind leaving them in the dark?”

“Okay, Jimmy. For now, I’ll leave him in your care. But, on his next check up, I’d appreciate some answers.” Brad turned to Tony, “Sweetie. If you don’t want anyone to know yet – I'm all right with that. I’m your friend and doctor first. It’s also your prerogative, as a cognizant patient. But, I’d like an explanation cos I’m concerned for you. Understand?”

Tony mouthed a silent ‘I know’ before he dozed off again.

..oOo..

Back at Quantico, Gibbs wasn’t a happy man. He brought a fist down on his desk and yelled, “Get me some damned answers!”

Not only, did the remaining members of the MCRT, but everyone on the floor jumped. Many vacated to the restroom or the chocolate machine. However, McGee and Ziva held the short straws and had no choice but to reiterate what they already knew, without adding anything extra.

“Err…well… Boss. Petty Officer Davis’s financials say he was black marketing vehicle parts. We’ve interviewed his colleagues on the base who have all said that he was a good guy and can’t believe what’s happened. Nevertheless, we’ve found evidence that he was ordering extra’s into the motor pool, and must have ticked someone off,  then…”

“I know all that McGee and believe me someone knows something – you haven’t gotten it out of them yet.” Gibbs was aware that if Tony was on the case too, he’d have wheedled something out of someone. But, he didn’t voice that opinion to anyone. His team knew everything about the crime except for the identity of the actual killer. Though, that wasn’t what was actually bothering him, “I wanna know what caused the house to blow.”

Ziva, having had enough of Gibb’s temper, spoke up with a touch of annoyance in her tone. “We are not psychic Gibbs, and Abby is processing the evidence as fast as she can. It is going to take a while to brush through the debris.”

“It’s comb through…”

Ziva bit back, “I do not care McGee. Brush, comb, the result is the same.”

Gibbs looked between the two and shook his head, “Yeah. You still got nothing. I’m going for coffee.”

On his way back, Gibbs dropped by Abby’s lab. “Whaddaya got Abs?”

Abby’s music was even louder than it normally was, and he had to tap her shoulder to get her attention.

“Ah. God Gibbs, you scared me. What are you doing here? Your mojo can’t be working properly, cos I didn’t shout for you mentally or physically - nor did my babies? ”

“Irrelevant. How’s it goin’?” he asked as he placed a caf-pow on her desk.

“Well, considering all the evidence from the barn has already been processed, you must be here about the explosion.”

Gibbs was glad that at least one of his team was on the ball. “Ya think. What do you have?”

“A lot of smoke and debris Gibbs. Do you have any idea how long that stuff takes to process so that nothing’s missed? Even for my babies? More than a week Gibbs. The boom that house gave wasn’t the 4th July big, but it was big enough.”

Gibbs looked at Abby as though her words were code. “And?”

“Exactly that, a lot of smoke. The scene was only declared safe four days ago, and despite pulling in all the help I could get, the evidence only arrived three days ago. And Major Mass spec isn’t co-operating. So what I’ve got at the moment is a lot of charred bits and, soot and broken house parts. Of course, I can analyze it and have the results to you. But, while my babies were doing their best, I was searching through the physical evidence.”

Abby spoke a lot of big words that Gibbs only caught the gist of. Essentially, something had breached the gas lines, which raised the questions of how, and when, since the all clear had been given on the house?

He focused on Abby again, who was still chattering a dozen words a second. “I don’t know yet what could have caused it. There're a hundred-and-one possibilities. The house wasn’t exactly modern. I’ve found remnants of a, way too old, rubber pipe which looks to have been a weak point.” Gibbs was shown a piece of badly charred rubber. “This kind of pipe comes from the back of the cooker, but the damage is so extensive a number of things could have created the breach. It’s gonna take a while to pin it down. And of course, I’ll keep looking, but with what I’ve got, it’s not going to happen at my normal lightening speed.”

Gibbs left the lab even more frustrated than when he entered. Not only were Abby’s machines on a go slow; but, the answers he had created a slew of new questions. At the forefront, was:

Was it an accident or deliberate?

If deliberate, what was in the house that needed to be hidden so bad that it warranted blowing it up? And what could cause such an explosion – especially when no gas was detected? Did that suggest instant breach rather than a slow leak? Maybe not, since there were plenty of ways to mask a gas smell?

_If_ the explosion was an accident, the timing couldn’t have been more disastrous. Gibbs thought again about that. Yes, it could have been more disastrous – much more disastrous. All the same, Gibbs couldn’t help question the, _if_?

His gut was telling him there was more to it, but he had no idea what? And to top it all Tony had yet to regain consciousness.

..oOo..

The next time Brad looked in on Tony, the man had slept and had drunk plenty. He entered in time to hear his friend sigh, “This can’t go on any longer. Jimmy.”

Upon noticing Brad, Tony sang out a pained, but more cheerful, “Oh hey Brad. Jimmy, can you keep an eye on the door, please?”

“Sure Tony.” Jimmy knew what Tony was about to do. He’d been badgering him for long enough.

When his friend was settled, Tony jumped right in with, “Brad, this was no accident. Someone’s trying to kill me.”

Tony’s frankness stunned Brad, “What! How do you know?”

“My spidey senses. Plus, this is the latest in a string of near misses. The LEO’s said the house was secure, and they’re good men. I’ll bet you a year’s salary that the explosion is put down to unknown causes, or something untraceable. I’m not taking any more chances. This one was too close. I’ve got to take action.” 

“Explain.”

As Tony swallowed, he winced. “It started about six months ago with my tires being slashed, followed a couple of weeks later by me nearly being run over. Other little things have happened too. At first, I thought it was bad luck or wrong neighborhood. But, then things started happening out on the job. The radiator, which worked on the way, didn’t on the journey back. It was the pump on another occasion. You know me, I regularly check my engine.”

Tony took a couple of breaths, “We all know it’s a dangerous job and the MCRT is in the line of fire more than most. But, over the last few weeks, things have escalated. Where necessary, Jimmy’s patched me up – a few stitches here and there. But, this last couple of times, it’s been too close. And, as much as I don’t want to believe it – the circumstances of those attempts have left me in no doubt. There’s a good possibility someone within NCIS, is behind it all. There’s a slim chance it’s someone within the MCRT or making it look like it’s someone within the MCRT.”

..oOo..


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony explains his thought process to Brad, and both remember a particular threesome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to everyone who has bookmarked, commented, subscribed and sent kudos. Wow. 
> 
> This story is not beta'd, so all mistakes are my own. All rights belong to NCIS, I own nothing.

**Chapter Two**

“Surely not! Gibbs wouldn’t have anything like that. I can’t imagine any of the MCRT being party to such a thing?” Brad thought out loud.

 Tony tried to sit up, only to be stopped by Brad. Instead, Brad raised the top end of the bed slightly, which still made Tony curse at the pain. He grimaced but was determined to state his case. “In one respect you’re right. I don’t believe Gibbs is behind it. Not so sure about the others. If Gibbs wanted to kill me, he’d do it himself, and he’d make sure no one but me was in the firing line. But, since he came back from Mexico… he’s done nothing but ride my ass to the point where I’m fed up. I don’t know what I’ve done. And, hell, I’ve done my best to find out. But, whatever it is, it’s bad enough for me to think he’d back anyone else before me on his team. Even if he believed I was in the firing line, I doubt he entertain the perp being anyone on his team.”

Tony closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, “I can’t trust him anymore, Brad. Besides, one of Gibbs rules is, never assume. What better way to cover your tracks than to do something completely out of character. Also, it was Gibbs who sent me into the building. He has to be on the list of suspects until I find evidence to exclude him.”

“And that breaks your heart too, doesn’t it?”

Tony looked down at his sheets. “Yeah. Yeah, it does. The bastard’s married to the job and is oblivious to anything outside that unless it reminds him of Shannon or Kelly; which is great if you’re a female redhead. He only gets concerned about the guys if whatever’s happened stops them doing their job. Don’t even know why I think about him in any light other than boss. It’s not like I stand a cat in hells chance.”

Tony put on a good mask, but Brad was well aware that his friends’ heart belonged to Gibbs, even if, in Brad’s eyes, the silver bastard didn’t deserve him. The doctor in him couldn’t help wonder about Gibbs’s mental state. Since he’d returned from Mexico, it was if Gibbs had something to prove; not just to Tony, but to all those around him. The man himself maintained that the second B stood for Bastard. Until Mexico, Tony also associated it with Backup, Brave, Brevity, Balanced, Banter, Basic, Bearish and Beautiful.

Since Mexico, it was if Gibbs didn’t want the B to stand for Beaten. And he made up for it by being, Belittling, Belligerent, Biased, Biting, Boiling, Bossy, Browbeat and yes, one hell of a Bastard.

Most of that had been aimed at Tony. At times, Gibbs and the team had made Tony feel like a burden. There were occasions, too, when Brad and Jimmy had to have long talks with their friend to bolster his confidence. And to Tony’s due, he’d come back from the experiences stronger. However, given Tony’s childhood, there would always be undercurrents of emotions which could send him in any one of several directions.

At that moment, in the hospital room Tony was determined. “What happens next time, though, huh? Whoever is after me is getting reckless. Say it’s not Gibbs or any of the MCRT. What if they get caught in the crosshairs? Like or dislike – I can’t protect them while I’m looking over my own shoulder. I’ve got to get out of the frying pan for a while, take stock, and see from a distance, what comes out of the woodwork.”

“Okay then. Say you’re right and this was someone taking advantage…”

“I know it was someone after me.” Tony insisted.

“Alright, alright. Let me finish. Do you think it was someone taking advantage of a crime scene, or someone creating a crime scene to get to you?”

Tony was in speculation mode. So, he ignored the distracting pain and adjusted himself in the bed.  “Unless we have a serial killer who also has a focus on me, it’s most likely the former, as any team could be called out to a scene. Either way, they’d need to keep an ear on the police frequencies to see if we’d be the ones called out. They’d have to have a number of instant solutions to hand, too, and be damned sneaky about it. Maybe, even masquerade as a LEO to get close to the scene. All that aside - to know which crime scene the MCRT attends is last minute information and can only come from inside the Navy Yard. ”

“So what makes you think the blast was an attempt on you?”

“Other than my gut?”

“Yup.”

Tony raised his eyebrows and took a deep painful breath, “The fact that everything at that scene suggested all the evidence was out in the barn. All that could have been gotten from the house was stuff to profile the victim. Trust me, Brad. I’ve done enough of these to have a damned good idea where to go snooping for hidden evidence, and the house wasn’t it. There may have been one farm, but there were two different crime scenes. Whoever blew the house was after someone specific. ”

“And you believe that was you?”

“Had it been an isolated incident – no. Given the evidence, I have to.”

Brad didn’t like what was happening to his friend and was determined to help. “Okay. What you do you want to happen next?”

“Any chance you can keep me isolated while I recover a little more and can sign myself out AMA?”

“But your team were visitors while you out cold. At least they were to start with.”

“I can’t do anything about that – sorry. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it was necessary. I just need time to think.”

“Damn. I don’t like the prospect of you signing yourself out, but, I’ll come up with something? I’d like you to stay long enough to make sure you’re not going to develop any secondary infections. ”

“Sounds good. Then I’d like to talk to Trent.” Tony smiled, “That is if you don’t mind me taking up some of his limited time?”

“Tony. You know you’re welcome. If you were in better health, I’d suggest you revisit some memories of being the meat in a Brad and Trent sandwich. We’d take your mind off things for a while. “

Tony sighed, “Good old days, Brad. Good old days.”

For a while, both men sat in silence while they remembered their threesome.

..oOo..

_Tony was aware that Brad and Trent had been in an open relationship for years. Between undercover assignments, given the amount of time Brad and Trent spent apart, they enjoyed the freedom of taking others to their beds. It wasn’t everyone’s ticket, but it worked for Brad and Trent._

_While Tony was in the hospital recovering from the plague, he and Brad became closer than either of them expected. It started while bantering over college football and given Tony’s ailing state; he didn’t have the energy for his usual masks. Brad got to know the real Tony DiNozzo. It was an exchange process. That was how Tony first learned of Trent Kort, too. He knew the heart of Brad’s lover, long before he knew him as CIA’s talented, ruthless undercover bastard. Tony had done his research the minute he got out of the hospital._

_Later, Trent’s nature was a front which Tony helped to facilitate._

_After losing Kate, Tony was feeling particularly low and turned up at Brad’s for beer and some cinematic distraction. He’d have turned to Gibbs, but the man was distracted enough with the hunt for Ari and wasn’t receptive to people, full stop - unless they were delivering Ari’s head. Other members of the team were off dealing with their grief in other ways._

_So, it was Brad who was Tony’s rock. They settled on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, and while sharing they leaned into each other. When the last nuggets were gone, Tony placed the tub on the table and retrieved their beers. Not wanting to shift to a cold part of the pillow, he settled again next to Brad, who knowing Tony’s fragile state put his arm around Tony’s shoulders and pulled him in tighter to his side._

_In Brads comforting arms, it was Tony who initiated their first kiss. Tony turned his head and reached for Brads jaw, leaving a feather light kiss on it, “Thank you,” he whispered._

_Brad looked into Tony’s eyes, his desire plain to see, but his friends fragile state made him ask, “Are you sure?”_

_“I need this Brad – I’m sure.”_

_After that Brad could not hold back. He cupped Tony’s face, leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Once, twice then thrice he tasted Tony’s soft, plump willing mouth. He didn’t need to be a doctor to know Tony’s heart and his own elevated. When Tony opened his mouth to him, Brad hummed in delight, swiveled in his seat, sank down and pulled Tony between him and the back of the couch._

_Feeling safe and cared for, Tony lost himself to Brad’s caresses. He lost track of time while he enjoyed the feel of a trim torso, and the security of the strength between them. Every fiber in his body was buzzing._

_The next thing either man comprehended was a small moan and extra set of hands on their bodies. Brad immediately knew who it was and moved his head. He  muttered the word, “Trent,” before the man claimed his mouth._

_Tony’s breathing hitched. He’d not met the man though he knew plenty about him. Tony was prepared to leave the men to their reunion, but he was trapped, and Brad kept a tight hold of Tony. Tony had to admit; seeing the passion between Trent and Brad had his cock hardening even more._

_The men broke apart, and Brad gulped a breath, “Trent, meet Tony.”_

_“I’ve heard a lot about you Anthony DiNozzo. One of NCIS’s finest.”_

_“Likewise, one of the CIA’s biggest bastards.”_

_Trent laughed, “Only to those who don’t know me.”_

_All three men smiled._

_“I’ll leave you two to your reunion.” Tony went to move but was held in place by Brad, who backed up his movement with a nudge to Tony’s groin, silently telling him, he could feel Tony’s reaction to his kiss with Trent._

_Brad and Trent’s eyes were locked in silent conversation._

_Eventually, Trent spoke to Tony while trailing his hand up Tony’s thigh, “Do you have any objection to this tryst continuing with a third participant.” He backed up his words by sliding his hand between Brad and Tony and rubbing at Tony’s erection._

_Tony closed his eyes in the bliss from the friction, “Not in the slightest,” and thrust into Trent’s hand._

_All the way to the bedroom, Trent and Brad kissed, while Brad held onto Tony and dragged him along. Within the confines of the darkened room, Brad took Tony again. While Brad worked his way down Tony’s chest and undid his shirt, Trent continued kissing Tony where Brad had left off._

_Trent’s kisses were more demanding than Brads, and Trent’s small amount of facial hair added an extra sensation Tony welcomed, as it distinguished between the two. Trent didn’t beat around the bush. He plunged his tongue into Tony’s mouth and immediately fused it with Tony’s. He lowered Tony to the bed while Brad divested Tony of his trousers. Tony gasped when his cock was surrounded by Brad’s hot, wet mouth._

_Soon, all men were naked and rutting against one another. At one time it was Brad and Trent who were Kissing, then Tony and Brad, then back to Trent and Tony. Trent orchestrated a sixty-nine between Brad and Tony while he fumbled for supplies. Occasionally, Tony took the dominant role, but for the most part he was happy to submit and be taken care of by apparently expert hands._

_While Brad and Tony righted themselves again and kissed, Trent covered his fingers and prepared the men on the bed. His actions sent a fever between Brad and Tony, who were no longer content with kissing. They were feasting and undulating against one another. Hands and mouths moved from neck to nipple. First a suck then a bite._

_Tony was in bliss. He had an amazing man above him and fingers filling him. Overload wasn’t far off. He shouted out, “Tug my balls, hard, or I’m gonna come.” His instruction was soon taken care of. A rough hand took hold of his scrotum and tugged before rolling his balls back against his body. Tony wailed at the pain but was also fired at the desire that followed it. He never thought that a small amount of pain would make him feel so good too. “Again,” he demanded and Trent complied._

_The demanding side of Tony was welcomed by both Brad and Trent; it was confirmation that he was getting just as much out of their union as them. Trent and Brad kissed hard, before settling either side of Tony. Trent devoured Tony’s mouth and stroked Tony’s length while Brad breached Tony’s ass._

_Brad held onto Tony while he slowly disappeared inside him. Meanwhile, Trent smiled at the ecstasy on his longtime lover’s face. He’d known for a while that Brad had wanted to bed Tony and was glad was part of their union. He loved Brad and would do anything for him, but he also had more than a few months of pent up lust that he needed to work off._

_Watching the two men copulate sent Trent into a frenzy of his own and it wasn’t long before he was lining up behind Brad and sinking balls deep._

_When the force of the thrusts increased, Tony realized that they were in a train formation and that he was the front carriage. He moaned and moaned at the extra depth reached._

_Brad felt a hand over his balls. He moaned and leaned back capturing Trent’s mouth. He returned to Tony and both shared their lips while the force of Trent pushed them all together._

_Grunts and cries filled the room until one after they other they screamed their release and fell in a heap on the bed._

_It was the first of several encounters for the three. It became the norm that Tony and Brad enjoyed each other while Trent was out of town. However, after a while Tony couldn’t ignore his feelings for Gibbs. He broke it off with Brad though their friendship and the connection between all three remained._

..oOo..

When Brad exited Tony’s room, he did three things. He made plans to move Tony to a more isolated place. Then, while Tony was being moved, he made two phone calls.

The first one was to Gibbs, who answered with his usual terse, “Gibbs.”

“Agent Gibbs, Doctor Pitt here. You wanted to know when Agent DiNozzo was conscious.”

“How is he? When can I see him?”

“He’s doing as well as can be expected. But, I’ve had to place restrictions on visitors, which entails you and those at NCIS keeping their distance.”

“Why? I was there when he was brought in and after.” Gibbs was not a happy man.

Brad wasn’t fazed. “That was then. This is now. He is conscious and has been moved out of critical care, but, given the damage to his lungs, I’m going to keep him under observation for a while longer. I don’t want microbes brought in by multiple visitors to hamper his recovery.”

“But Jimmy’s there? And I need to take a statement.”

Gibbs’s reaction angered Brad. “Is your statement more important to you than Tony’s life, Agent Gibbs? And as for Mr. Palmer, he’s taken some leave and has been with Agent DiNozzo for several days. He won’t bring in new infections. On the other hand, you and your team are exposed to all sorts of contagions, daily, which I am not prepared to subject my patient to.” Brad could hear the puffing of frustration on the end of the line. “Should you attempt to railroad your way in before I give clearance, you will be banned from my department. I hope I make myself clear Agent Gibbs. Goodbye.”

Brad knew his reasoning was flimsy, albeit plausible. Nevertheless, it was the best he could do without misappropriating hospital funds and lying to his staff. If necessary he could get Tony to make it an official request, but he didn’t want to go down that road yet. It would raise too many red flags.

On the other end of the dial tone, Brad wasn’t aware that Gibbs was not only furious at not being allowed access to Tony, but the man was in turmoil too. Seeing Tony lying bloodied and unconscious had stirred something inside him. The sight had plagued him for days. Many a night he’d retreated to his boat, and while sanding had thought long and hard about many things concerning his 2IC.

Meanwhile, Brad made his second call to the Director of NCIS.

“Vance.”

Brad wondered if it was NCIS protocol that made people with power answer the phone in the same, single worded way. “Director Vance, Doctor Pitt here, from Bethesda.”

“Good to hear from you, Doctor. How’s my agent?”

“Doing as well as can be expected Director. He’s conscious, but I’m keeping his visitors restricted for now, as I don’t want any outside infections they may bring in, compromising his recovery.”

“How restricted?”

“Only Mr. Palmer at the moment.”

“And I guess you told me that because of Gibbs?”

“Yes, Director. Tony isn’t in any shape to be conscious and receive visitors as intense as your MCRT, not to mention, the slightest contagion could be disastrous for my patient. I understand Gibbs and some of the others visited while he was unconscious, and despite being out of the forest, he’s not out of the woods. I’m changing things up a bit to speed his recovery, by minimizing risk.”

“I understand what you’re saying Doctor, but my agents have a job to do. Can’t at least one of them come and take his statement?”

“Absolutely not, Director! If I let one in, the others will follow. Then I’ll be forced to take the kind of action which I’m positive Agent Gibbs will not like. You know as well as I do that Agent DiNozzo hates hospitals. All I’m trying to do is minimize his stay.”

“I see Doctor, and I’m sure my agent will be duly appreciative. In that case can you sterilize a land line and get it to Agent DiNozzo. I don’t care how long you have to make the cord.  I’ll take his statement. I’d like to have a chat with him anyway. I promise not to keep him long.”

“I’ll see how his condition progresses and get back to you Director.”

“You do that, Doctor Pitt. Goodbye.”

..oOo..

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have currently completed six chapters of this story and I envisage another couple or so on top of that to finish. I have never started a story that I haven't finished.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony goes AMA and Gibbs starts asking questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow thank you to everyone. I can't believe the wonderful response to my story.
> 
> As always I do not own anything related to NCIS nor do I make a profit from any ffn. Also, I beta my own work, so all mistakes are mine, though I am sure word purposely removes the odd word here or there. :) :)
> 
> My own published originals are out there via my author name Taylin Clavelli.

**Chapter Three**

The following morning, Director Vance finished on the phone with Agent DiNozzo and after taking a copy of the recording and transcript for his own file, he walked out of his office with the originals.

He sauntered down the stairs and came to a halt before his Senior Agent, who looked up at him suspiciously. “Can I help you, Director?”

“Nope, but thought you might want this.” He handed over the statement of Anthony DiNozzo.

After perching his glasses on the end of his nose, and reading the article, Gibbs looked up to Vance, “How did you get this?”

“I did your job for you by using a little ingenuity. Now you have no reason to bother Agent DiNozzo during his recovery.”

“I wouldn’t be bothering him, Sir. He’s my Senior Field Agent and friend.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Not from where I’ve been standing these last few months, Agent Gibbs.”

At that Gibbs rose from his seat. “And what’s that supposed to mean, Director?”

“Exactly what is sais, Agent Gibbs. It’s up to _you_ how you interpret it.”

With that, Director Vance returned to his office leaving the remains of the MCRT watching his ass.

Ziva was the first to recover, “I do not know what Director Vance meant by that, Gibbs. We have done our jobs, have we not, yes?”

McGee was doing an impression of a codfish, but Gibbs was still looking at the Director’s door. “He’s blowing smoke Ziver.”

“I did not see a cigarette Gibbs, nor a cigar.”

“No, just a toothpick, flexing his muscles. Now find me some answers. I’m going for coffee.” His rendezvous with sandpaper hadn’t done much to quell the storm inside his head, and Vance had only added further turmoil.

..oOo..

Earlier, Tony held onto the receiver for a long time before returning it to the cradle. He sat back, numbed by what Director Vance had told him.

Jimmy had gone home for a shower and decent rest. So, it was only Brad and Tony in the room.  Brad waited until his patience ran out, “Well?”

Tony slowly turned to his friend, “Vance said he knows what’s been happening to me and that he believes there’s someone in the office out to cause trouble.”

Brad was angry, “Why didn’t he say something earlier?”

Tony was processing information as he spoke, “I dunno, I guess for the same reasons as me - evidence. And he has eyes everywhere. This was a blast too close.”

“Do you trust him?”

“I don’t know? But he’s said that he’ll leave it to me how I handle it and back me up wherever I need it. Said he’s gonna send someone to keep an eye on me.”

“Do you still want me to get in touch with Trent?”

“Definitely.”

“Consider it done.”

Before the land line could be wheeled out of the room, it rang out. Brad answered it, then handed the phone to Tony, “It’s for you?”

“Very Special Agent, Anthony DiNozzo.”

“DiNutzo.”

“Fornell…What the…”

“Vance concluded that I’m the only one outside the agency that you might trust.”

“Is that what he thinks?. Well, I get where he’s coming from.”

“Tell Brad to be ready for an exclusive member of staff dedicated to your wellbeing.”

“Okay.” It was the only answer Tony had considering he was still stunned by the turn of events.

He passed on Fornell’s greetings to Brad, who disappeared out of the room mumbling.

A while later, Tony’s favorite member of the FBI appeared in his doorway in scrubs and a mask.

“What’s the disguise for Toby?”

“You know as well as I do that, without visitation rights, Gibbs will have McGee hacking into security footage. And we don’t know who else is looking.”

“Yeah, but those ears sticking out like that doing an impression of Dopey, are a dead giveaway.”

“Cheeky kid.”

..oOo..

Life inside the bullpen had become decidedly chilly. Gibbs was frustrated and always barking at everyone.  His gut told him, something wasn’t right. Recent developments ensured they had the murderer of the petty officer in custody. He had crossed the wrong black market man and was dealt with for his lack of loyalty.

What bugged Gibbs was that the evidence which led them to their murderer was found in a safety deposit box. Nothing suggested anything in the house would have convicted the man. Not only that but, the detainee had insisted he had nothing to do with the explosion. Add to that the lack of evidence that Abby had, all pointed to the explosion being an accident. Unfortunately, for the remaining members of the MCRT, Gibbs wasn’t prepared to accept that particular conclusion.

As everyone knew, Gibbs wasn’t a believer in coincidence. He had a man in the hospital, and he wanted a better reason than… it was an accident.

In the meantime, Ziva seemed to spend most of her time on the phone talking in Hebrew, Spanish or French. McGee always had his face glued to the screen and never left it without his password protection barring entrance to anyone. And Abby was sulking in her lab because a) she’d not solved the explosion puzzle, b) Gibbs was irritated at her for not solving the explosion puzzle and c) he wasn’t giving her any attention until she’d solved the explosion puzzle.

The only people out of Gibbs’s firing line were Ducky and Palmer. Ducky, because he wouldn’t take Gibbs’s crap anyway, and Palmer through lack of attendance. All information about Tony was filtered through Ducky, from Jimmy, too. So, unless Gibbs stayed on speaking terms with them, he’d get no information on Tony at all. There was precious little as it was. In the four days since he’d been banned from Tony, all he’d been told was that he was making steady progress. Jimmy even threw in the odd Tony reference of him likening his incarceration to Alcatraz. That made Gibbs smile. Weirdly, he was comforted by that. It showed that Tony was regaining some of his spark which, on reflection, he realized Tony had been losing.

..oOo..

Fornell stuck to Tony like shit to a blanket. So close that Tony wondered if the guy ever went to the head or slept. That’s not to say that Tony didn’t appreciate it. For the first time in months, he didn’t have to look over his shoulder before he slept.  Seeing how sympathetic Fornell was to Tony’s situation, Tony wondered if he should have confided in the man before things got out of hand. Then again, even with the explosion, most of the evidence was circumstantial. Sure, the all the ‘accidents’ happened, but any good lawyer or detective could explain them away. Fornell, not only believed Tony was being targeted but agreed that information was coming from within NCIS itself. And as such, everyone was under suspicion.

Together they came up with a plan.

Tony knew that as soon as certain things happened, Gibbs would be all over his contacts, and Fornell was frequently one of the first Gibbs went to for information. Therefore, for plausible deniability there were certain aspects the man couldn’t know about. In fact, for the protection of all involved, only Tony and one other would know the full plan rolling around in Tony’s head. That person wasn’t Jimmy either, despite the man knowing _every_ person Tony kept in touch with, his orientation and all the partners he’d had. In this instance, Jimmy was one of those he needed to protect. The man had helped him so much in recent months, and had become a person Tony completely trusted. Though, Tony knew that Jimmy wouldn’t allow him to sideline him completely. As mild as Jimmy was, he was quite the force when he wanted to be.

..oOo..

As far as the MCRT had been informed; Tony was improving but was on restriction for at least another four days before possibly being moved to a more public area. With no access, and work piling up, all of them found life without Tony frustrating.

Ziva kept looking over to Tony’s desk with eyes that, if possible, would shoot daggers at the form she imagined there. Tim buried himself behind his monitor, jumping every time Gibbs so much as moved in his chair. And both cursed like the devil at the ever increasing pile of paperwork. Abby was a mixture of things; happy one minute, sad the next and highly pissed off in between. Then there was Gibbs. Despite mainlining coffee, Gibbs was like a decaffeinating bear experiencing withdrawal symptoms while dealing with a marine hating traitor. Autopsy was the only place that seemed normal. Ducky could have even been described as happy since, earlier in the week, Palmer returned to work.

Whatever the reasoning for the moods of the MCRT; they all wanted to know Tony’s progress.  But, Vance kept them all busy. So busy, that, by the end of the day, the team was hard pressed to keep their eyes open for the journey home let alone stay abreast of developments concerning their absent member.

Jimmy proved to be the perfect spy in the camp. Within twenty-four hours of being in the office, he was up to date with everything. All it took was a quick, “What have I missed?” around the water cooler, and a few astute observations.

He reported his findings to Tony and Fornell in the early hours, prior to going into work. “Well, Tim is working on something on his computer. He’s even spent the whole odd night in the office. Balboa thinks he’s working on some secret project, but given that Gibbs isn’t hovering, he doesn’t think it’s for him. He suspects Vance has a covert project that he doesn’t want Gibbs to know about.”

Tony and Fornell made some notes and raised an eyebrow at the Vance connection. As far as they knew Vance was in their corner, but at this stage, regardless of his initial intervention, nothing was ruled out and information sharing was kept to a minimum.

Jimmy’s next update concerned Ziva. “Molly at the coffee shop has noticed Ziva talking to a man who fits CI Ray’s description. I’ve also noticed that Nikki Jardine frequently takes her time to photocopying at the machine by Ziva. She gives her funny looks, too, though I haven’t been able to find out what she suspects yet.”

Tony updated Fornell on Jardine. “Nikki is a linguist who monitors traffic on the Middle Eastern desk. She can speak a list of languages longer than your arm. She’s a germophobe, so, if she’s hanging around a piece of equipment that hasn’t been sanitized, then something’s wrong.”

“Abby’s a kaleidoscope of emotions. Ducky believes, she’s frustrated that she couldn’t get an absolute solution to the explosion. Apparently the construction of the house was old, and more than one area was in need of serious upgrade. The heating and the cooking was gas. And the electrical systems were well out of date. Given those facts, Abby thinks the explosion was more than likely accidental, and if it wasn’t, then it wouldn’t have taken much tampering to go boom. But, she can’t find conclusive evidence of tampering which Abby freely admits could have been destroyed in the blast.

To be honest, everyone in the bullpen hesitates to enter the lab because the moment they’re in there they’re subjected to clingy hugs and a whole lot of dialog they can’t understand. She’s been described as being like a chesty cough that you can’t shift. The only time she seems to perk up is when Gibbs pays her any attention, which isn’t much these days.”

“Why’s that?” Fornell asked. “Word around my office is that she’s his favorite and can do no wrong.  Either that or she has him under some voodoo spell.”

Tony sighed, “No, it’s not voodoo. That would be the fact they both mainline caffeine. It’s just the delivery system that differs. But you’re right Abs _is_ his go-to girl.”

Jimmy corrected them both. “Well, everyone’s used to Gibbs being a bear, but he’s so preoccupied that he’s stopped giving Abby a kiss. He’s been avoiding her hugs too. In contrast, I think if Abby could be his vest, she would be.”

At that information, Tony garnered a small sense of satisfaction. He knew it was unfair to be jealous of the relationship between Abby and Gibbs, but he was. She got the hugs and the kisses he wanted and knew he would never get. It was common knowledge that Gibbs saw Abby as a replacement for the daughter he lost, but the sight of them together and the affection Gibbs openly displayed for her, always hit Tony in the heart. He wondered if he had Abby on his list of suspects because of his evil thoughts towards her. But, like Gibbs, until proved otherwise, she couldn’t be ruled out. Again, Tony chastised himself for having feelings he’d tried and failed to move on from. And it annoyed him that those feelings occasionally clouded his judgment though he desperately tried not to let it.

“I’m surprised anyone has seen a difference in him Jimmy,” Fornell mused.

“You’d be surprised. Since Tony was blown up, Gibbs has changed. Sure he’s an even bigger bastard than he was before, but there’s something different about it. At least that’s what Ducky say’s.”

“Is anyone else in the office acting differently to normal?”

“Not that I’ve seen or heard so far. But I’ll stay on alert.”

“That’s my mole, Jimmy.” Tony crowd, “Keep up the good work. I think it’s time to step things up a bit don’t you?”

“What are you going to do Tony?”

“You’ll see.”

..oOo..

Director Vance, complete with toothpick grasped tightly between his teeth, arrived in the bullpen and put on as pissed off a face as he could muster. “Agent Gibbs. You have one stubborn ass son of a bitch SFA that’s as much a pain in my ass as you are.”

Gibbs’s attention immediately focused on the director, along with everyone else in the MCRT. “What’s happened?”

“He’s gone and signed himself out of the hospital AMA. I just received word and his leave application.”

“Damnit!” Gibbs hissed.

While Gibbs seethed, Ziva enquired, “You could deny his request, director?”completely ignoring Tony’s health issues.

Vance turned his head toward the Mossad representative, “Now why would I want to do that Miss David? In the state DiNozzo’s in, he’s of no use to me here. If he’s stupid enough to sign himself out of the hospital, the best thing he can do is take some of the leave he’s built up.”

“You could restrict him to desk duty,” she argued.

“And I suppose, to keep him busy, you’d transfer that pile on your desk to his. Sorry, Miss David. I know you like to play at being a modern-day Xena, but, this isn’t the the way to get more field time.”

“Tony gets away with handing his off to others all the time. I do not understand.”

“That’s his prerogative as _Senior_ Field Agent. Same as Gibbs hands his to DiNozzo. Not only that, but he knows how to do the paperwork blindfold and in triplicate. Just ask the ladies down in requisitions and HR. Whereas I’ve seen your submissions Miss David, and they still need some work.”

“But, you said that Tony was a pain in the ass.”

“You’re right I did. I was referring to his lack of consideration for his health, not his ability to do his job.”

Ziva huffed and puffed and muttered under breath, in Hebrew.

Meanwhile, McGee was sat behind his desk trying to make heads or tails of the conversation that had just happened. He wondered how it transformed from the director calling DiNozzo a pain in the ass to him praising the man that was most certainly a pain in _his_ ass. He was positive there should have been a few more sentences in there somewhere. He sported a confused look, along with a few others in the bullpen. Though, some were smirking at Ziva having been taken down a peg and were glad that management didn’t see her as the Mossad savior of NCIS, which is how they suspected the lady saw herself.

Suddenly there was a growl from Gibbs, “Ziver, stand down,” then, he spoke to the director again, “How long’s he gonna be off?”

“At the moment, he’s taken three weeks. But, he’s got a lot more than that stored up.”

“Any idea if he’s saying home?”

“Didn’t ask. What that man does on his own time is not agency business.” With that, director Vance disappeared to his office.

The minute Vance was out of sight Gibbs, mumbled, “Going for coffee.”

Outside the first thing Gibbs did was make a call, “Tobias, we need to talk. One hour.”

..oOo..

Brad had made sure Tony was as ship shape as possible before leaving him in Trent’s capable hands. They were at one of Trent’s covert places where he kept a range of electronic eyes and ears. Like any decent undercover operative, Trent Kort didn’t advertise his skills. One couldn’t be a good agent, especially an undercover one if your arsenal was known to all and sundry. Tony was a likeminded spirit; only Tony didn’t have the den that Kort had. Not even Trent’s CIA bosses knew of the place. It was acquired through some of his… shadier dealings. He even had a library of algorithms and programs designed to hack and bug the majority of systems. 

Tony looked down the stack of USB sticks like he was scanning the ultimate movie collection. “Damn, you’re a devious bastard.”

“Compliments will get you everywhere DiNozzo.”

Tony ran his fingers down the row of labeled USB’s. “Whose fingers did you have to break to get all this?”

Trent laughed, “Not as many as you think. I am capable of negotiating; I just use different methods to you.”

“You’re a mixture of an unshaven Napoleon Solo and Dirty Harry.”

“An interesting combination. Now who could you be? I’ll match your Mr. Solo and add in… mmm, I think The Jackal fits _you_ best with a hint of Bilko.”

Tony took a sneaky side look at his friend, “Now you’re stroking my ego. But, I’m disappointed – No 007.”

“Bond is good, but I’m not so sure he has the package you have.”

“Ohhh, innuendo and compliments. What did Brad do to you last night?”

“Enough to keep me happy for a while.”

The computer beeped, and Tony’s eyes lit up. “Okay - time to get these eyes-a-lookin and these ears-a-listenin.”

“Don’t break my equipment, Tony,” Trent warned.

“Thought I already did that,” he said with a grin, “The last time but one, that we…ahh”

“Yes. Okay, DiNozzo. It’s a good job I have Brad for a partner, and you have a good…”

“Grip?” Tony supplied.

“Mmm.”

“Ahh, Trent my man - the way I remember it, after demanding more, you moaned like a pro, and you couldn’t walk for twenty-four hours.”

“Good night's Tony, good nights.”

“Yes they were. Now, who do you think I should spy on first?”

The banter between Tony and Trent regularly involved a mixture of shop talk and innuendo. It was often a confusing combination.

“I think Miss. Mossad has to be top of the list.”

Tony flexed the fingers of his right hand, and once they’d cracked, he placed them on the keyboard. Despite his left arm being broken he could still move his fingers sufficiently as Brad had supplied him with a pillow to rest his arm on while he typed, along with other soft items for his comfort. With his injuries, he wasn’t as quick on the keyboard as McGee, but he wasn’t far off. “God, I love finding out people’s secrets.”

..oOo..

In the park, Gibbs sat waiting on his usual bench. Eventually, Fornell sat beside him, “What can I do you for, Jethro?”

“What do you know about my agent, Tobias?”

“I know lots about all your agents. Anyone in particular?”

“Cut the crap Tobias. I staked out the hospital and saw you were a frequent visitor.”

Fornell  shouldn’t have been surprised by that, after all he expected Gibbs to use McGee. But after the way his friend had been in recent months, he was surprised the man had done _any_ recon on Tony. “And?”

“Traced you to Tony’s floor. Did _you_ manipulate Brad into saying no visitors?”

Fornell laughed, “Well damn. I must be slipping. But, you’re wrong. It was hardly _no_ visitors. Besides, what were you waiting for, a gap in the roster before you swooped in to verbally slap Tony around for good measure?”

Gibbs ignored Fornells last comment. “You had no right to keep me away. I’m his next of kin and medical proxy. ”

Fornell could see the frustration emanating from every pore of his friends body. “For starters, if I wanted to keep you away, I would have had every right to. Initially, you were let in to see him because of your status as his boss and, god forbid why, but you are still his next of kin. You’re not his medical proxy anymore, though. Secondly, that parameter was already in place when I arrived.”

Gibbs wasn’t happy that he wasn’t Tony’s medical proxy but decided to deal with that later. There were more pressing issues. “What are you saying Tobias, that it was Tony or Brad that put the restriction on me?”

“Let me ask you a question first. Other than by being a total bastard, are you trying to kill your SFA?”

Gibbs’s face scrunched enough to make it look like he’d eaten several lemons. “What? No! How… how can you even think that?”

Fornell studied Gibbs for a while. He knew when the man was hiding something, and when he wasn’t. He knew all his friends tells, even the ones Jethro didn’t think he knew. The man wasn’t displaying any signs of deceit. All Tobias could see in Jethro’s eyes was concern, “Had to ask, but I’ve got a whole bunch of other questions before I say anymore. Let's take a walk.”

Gibbs broke one of his rules and turned off his phone. His gut was telling him this was one discussion he didn’t want to have interrupted.

During the next hour, Tobias grilled Gibbs about his whereabouts and circumstances surrounding all the other attacks on Tony. At times, Gibbs got so frustrated that he threw his hands in the air, go to say something, and then not. He repeated the action several times before saying, “What do you want from me, Tobias? I’ve answered all your damn questions and for what? Satisfy your curiosity over some crap you’ve heard?”

“No, not crap. Since you came back from Mexico, you’ve been double-timing your bastard ways. Tripling them where DiNozzo’s concerned.”

Gibbs rolled his eyes, “So, he couldn’t take the heat and came crying to you?” He knew the statement was cruel, but he couldn’t stop himself.

Fornell called him on it. “Now who’s talking bull? No, your boy was under my protection because someone’s trying to kill him.”

The men commandeered a closeby bench.

Gibbs sat overlooking the water with a blank look on his face. _Someone was attempting to kill Tony_. A few things fell into place, but not all. Eventually, still looking straight forward he responded. “He could have come to me. The team could have investigated. We look after our own.”

Gibbs retrieved his cell and turned it on.  Fornell swiftly swiped it from him and turned it back off.  A wide-eyed pissed off Senior Agent looked back at his FBI friend.

Fornell temporarily pocketed the cell. “You really expected Tony to come to you after your tripled efforts? Besides Jethro, the restriction on his visitors wasn’t just for you; it was your whole team, and then some. The NCIS MCRT are the prime suspects.”

“Wh…But..No.How? That’s a load of bull, and you know it.” Then something dawned on Gibbs. His mind suddenly much sharper than it had been in recent months. “Hold on. You said was.”

“Was what?” Fornell sounded like he’d lost momentarily lost the plot.

“You said Tony _was_ under your protection.”

Fornell sucked in air, clasped his fingers and rested his forearms on his knees .“Yeah, well. Looks like you’re not the only one who got the better of me. When he signed himself out AMA, he disappeared. I’m following leads.”

“Do you have any leads?”

“I’m working on it.” Fornell was purposely vague. While he didn’t know where Tony was, he knew a few things Gibbs most certainly didn’t, and wasn’t about to pass those details on. Besides, Tony had threatened him from putting tails on people who he’d labeled no-go.

Gibbs shook his head. “If Tony doesn’t want to be found he won’t be. Vance said he was on leave.”

“Well great. That just put the world as his oyster.

“Jesus this is a mess.”

“Let’s get more coffee.”

..oOo..

 


	4. chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Trent make some discoveries and Gibbs does some soul searching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always I don't own anything related to NCIS. I just love playing with the characters. 
> 
> All mistakes are my own.

**Chapter Four**

In the den, Tony was making progress. “Her desktop’s clean but, damn, NCIS’s phone bills will halve if Ziva returns to Israel. All her international calls are made from the office. Most of it’s in Hebrew and French with some Spanish. I understand all the Spanish and a portion of the rest, and they seem social, but my gut say’s there’s more to it than that.”

Few knew that many landline calls to and from NCIS were recorded. Cell phones were a different matter, but even those conversations were retrievable, when you knew where to look.

“This isn’t normal. She’s in contact with a series of people, virtually all the time. They can’t all be contacts for cases. She’s exceptional in some areas of the job, but information gathering without a knife to someone’s throat isn’t her strong suit. She’s like Cat Woman to Gibb’s Bat Man.”

Tony had been compiling a list of names that Ziva mentioned in conversation, and Trent was processing them. Then, Tony sat up straight, “Trent, do you remember all those old war movies?”

“I’m not the film buff that you are, but I do remember a few excellent mini-series – _Family At War_ being one.”

“That’ll do. You know how the BBC used to read out a list of messages, and in them they’d pass on codes and hidden information? What if Ziva is doing that here? Just have to figure out the cipher. I’m gonna print these off and see if regular phrases stand out.”

“Okay. Am I correct in thinking Ziva is currently in the office?” Trent asked.

“Sure, her station is switched on.”

Trent handed Tony a USB stick, “Then run this while we’re working, on the machine in the corner. All you need to do is enter her building IP address, and it’ll do the rest. It will access every device in the range. If you have an IP address specific to her PC, then it will do that, but it’s safer to run the general setting as Ziva is bound to have a secret device or two.”

“I’ll do the same on Tim’s home equipment. He’s going to have several firewalls, but while he’s in the office, your programs may have time to break through them. I’m presuming they won’t leave a trail back to here, cos McHide’N’Seek will have several tracer programs running including booby traps in with his firewalls.”

“Oh please. You insult me. What I have here is the latest, and far out does anything McGee can afford or program. Non-traceable is a pre-requisite.”

“Sorry, had to ask.”

“As you should my friend. In your position, I’d do the same. This list you’ve given me; there’s more than a few on here connected to people who have questionable past, presents, and futures.”

“Once Mossad always Mossad – even if she’s saying she wants to become an American citizen. Not all of those in her call book are going to be kosher.”

“That may be so, but if the people on this list have the ears of the felons I believe they do…individually they’re dangerous, but for them to have a single contact isn’t good at all.”

“Could she be a handler or filter?”

“Possibly either or both. Ray’s on here too.”

Tony relaxed back into his chair. “That makes for more than one possibly. It could be love. He could be using her or her using him. Either way, the situation requires more digging.”

“How’s our FBI mogul doing?”

“He’s probing into the wider NCIS populous. But, snooping was put on hold when he got summoned by Gibbs.”

“What fun,” Trent muttered drolly, “Does Tobias know where you are?”

“Now who’s being insulting? Trent buddy, you know I wouldn’t risk you. You’re my ace in the hole. Tobias knows I’m not in the hospital anymore. But, I knew he’d be Gibbs’s first port of call, so, for plausible deniability, I did a Houdini on him. He knows Brad’s in contact, and that’s how I found out about Gibbs.” Tony held up his new cell to show Brad’s text. “It’s a shorter version of the twilight bark.”

Kort shook his head and got back to digging into the personnel on Ziva’s list.

..oOo..

When Gibbs was allowed to turn his cell back on, there were four missed calls and three messages. He didn’t have his glasses with him, so couldn’t see who made the calls, and as such, he ignored them all. Instead, he dialed the office.

It was Ziva who answered, “Where are you, Gibbs? We have been trying to contact you, and you have not been answering. “

“What da ya want Ziver?”

“To know where you are. You disappeared for coffee and did not return and you broke your own rule of not being contactable.”

“Is that all?”

“It is enough.”

“Sat on my phone – musta turned it off.”

“When are you coming back?”

Gibbs closed his phone. He couldn’t reply to a question he didn’t have the answer to and he didn’t see the point of telling them where he was. With his cell on again, he was sure McGee would have a constant track on it. With the information supplied by Fornell, he had a ton more thinking to do. And there was only one place to do that. Gibbs got in his car and returned home to his basement.

As the sandpaper glided with the grain of the wood, Gibbs focused. Sure he’d been hard on Tony recently, but he didn’t think it was anything he couldn’t take. He’d returned from Mexico, healed in body, but a lot was still floating around in his head. Dealing with that, and the job had been a strain, and he had to have an outlet. Gibbs knew for a fact that McGee couldn’t take too much hard-assery before he started to stutter. Ziva could take his temper, but he had to be careful with her, purely due to her parentage. Eli David on his own didn’t bother Gbbs much, but he had enough preservation skills not to piss off SECNAV, Vance and Mossad, all in one go. As things stood, Ziva was a hard woman, and constantly on guard. Gibbs was sure she’d attempt to jump down his throat if she thought the need arose. Like everyone, she had her good side and insecurities. So, like any military venture, he picked the battles that would teach her a lesson in some way, or keep her in line when she strayed too far from the NCIS path and Gibbs’s rules.

It was often said the people were hardest on those closest to them.

Gibbs was close to Abby. That being said, he didn’t know what was up with her. Ever since the farm explosion and maybe a bit before, she wasn’t as focused. The more he tried to step back and see the bigger picture - the more she tried to cling to him. It was suffocating and he’d snapped at her more than once, which didn’t go down well. Something other than that had put her off kilter, but Gibbs had his own set of problems. He couldn’t sort someone else when he wasn’t firing on all cylinders himself. As much as he loved Abby as a daughter, he occasionally wished she’d act her age, which was closer to Tony’s than she’d like to admit. In the lab, there wasn’t a soul he knew who could best her. Yet elsewhere, it was as if she couldn’t function without either him or the nuns as a crutch. In many ways, she was still very much a child. Maybe it was about time she stopped looking to him to solve all her issues.

Finally, Tony; he and Tony had been close, once. Were they still close? No, not so much now. _Who was he kidding? Truth - not anymore_. Did Gibbs want them to be close again? That was a question that his heart and his head were at war over. One acted on pure emotion; the other was logical and practical. At one time, Tony had been Gibbs’s loyal Saint Bernard. Unfortunately, when Gibbs returned from Mexico, he immediately felt a distance between them. A distance that, on one day he was thankful for because of feelings surrounding his girls, and on another he hated. That distance saddened him, which turned into annoyance and anger. Perhaps Fornell was right in that he’d taken his frustration, indecision, and every other emotion out on Tony, except the one that lingered in the depths of his heart. It was an emotion that soared out of control when he saw Tony beneath the rubble, unresponsive and bleeding. Fury raged within him, too, when he was cut off from Tony in the hospital.

He’d waited days to be able to talk to his 2IC, to make sure he was going to be okay. Then, suddenly his visits went cold turkey, and the ramifications on his soul were almost as bad as narcotics withdrawal. The question for him was the proportions of withdrawal from what? Did he miss having someone to rage at, miss his release mechanism, or was it the man himself, film references, inappropriate jokes, chatter, laughter and all. He constantly wavered between the two schools of thought. For Gibbs, it was if he had a game of tennis going on in his head when he needed a baseball home run. He knew which battle was winning, but with Tony having done a runner, he had no way to sign a peace treaty with him.

What Tobias had said, Gibbs could hardly believe. There was no doubting the circumstantial evidence. It was clear to him now that someone was trying to kill Tony, and for that, he couldn’t blame Tony for going underground. Even so, he still thought Tony should have gone to him for help.

 Once the reasons for Tony not seeking help from Gibbs were aired, he was annoyed and felt suitably chastised. His friend had told him some truths he didn’t want to hear, yet needed to hear. And some of those things aired he’d have to take up with Tony. Regardless of the facts suggesting that the perp was inside NCIS - he struggled to believe it was one of his team.

After, endless twoing-and-frowing, Gibbs agreed to help, even if it was his only method of proving his team innocent. He didn’t say anything to Fornell, but it was also the way to get Tony back to him sooner.

..oOo..

A week later, Trent was away on a case for the CIA. The information they had discovered about Ziva suggested that she was playing a dangerous game, but whether it involved attempted murder had yet to be established. She was playing kiss and tell secrets with her lover CI-Ray, which he was using to close down wannabe arms dealers in Europe. He too had passed on some things to Ziva, which Trent was not happy with. They were both dealing in small-fry and, the big fish were still out of reach. Using her connections to help a fellow US agency wasn’t illegal, albeit underhanded, considering she was keeping it secret from the NCIS powers that be. Tony had yet to make up his mind as to whether Ray was absolutely nuts to sleep with a Mossad operative or whether he was the Intelligence in CIA. He wondered if the guy fucked Ziva all night long as a coping mechanism for not daring to sleep, in case he never woke up. Tony winced at the thought of where Ziva may put her paperclip.

What was more disturbing to Tony was that she was passing military and general situational information back to her Mossad colleagues, enabling them to conduct missions in the US under the radar of officials. Tony muttered, “Mossad liaison indeed. Mossad snake-in-the-grass. Why the hell did Jenny bring you over to start with?” Apart from the fact that Ziva’s neighbors seemed to be porn addicts; the information he’d found on the secret laptop in her apartment, contained evidence that she knew enough of the illegal mission details to be of assistance, too. Her laptop was easy to distinguish from her neighbors as it was the only one which needed encryption software to decode. Once she’d switched it on, Trent’s programs went to work and soon had everything and had left a permanent access portal. It was then a case of decoding and some translation.

Ziva used her sexuality much like Tony used his frat boy image. Both were used to distract one’s opponent. Only, Ziva’s arrogance had blinded her to the fact that Tony batted for the other team. And, from the looks of her correspondence, she believed herself so superior, that she didn’t consider him intelligent enough to be better at the game than her. Gibbs was the only one Ziva looked up to and respected. From the looks she often gave him, she thought highly enough of him to only display her most efficient of sides. For Gibbs, she would consider doing many things. Nevertheless, she had repeatedly flirted with Tony and was against his façade not to flirt back. One e-mail, in particular, intrigued Tony. It was to Amit Hadar.

 

_Ziva to Amit_

_Continuing as instructed. Contacts made._

_Keeping D easily distracted, though I do not see why you find him that important. He is an annoying, frequently whining, bug. Though, if his bragging is correct, sex with him would be, eventful. If necessary, I will comply. I may consider his investigation skills slightly above par, but he is easily distracted. Talent is in his pants, not elsewhere. G continues to ride his hairy butt._

_Amit to Ziva_

_Keep to your task. Do not be infected by the disease of arrogance, it is blinding._

Hadar’s advice was sound, but Tony hoped Ziva’s conceit would stop her taking it.

Tony smiled. While his ego had been stroked in that it was on file that he’d be a good lay; what Tony found more interesting was that A) It was clearer that CI-Ray was not necessarily the dominant partner in their relationship – the man was being used more than he was doing the using. B) Tony’s frat boy persona was not in jeopardy. It pleased him no end that he got under Ziva’s skin in an annoying way and C) Ziva, one day would have one hell of a shock when he came out and she realized all her sexual games were wasted on him. And he intended to come out. There was no way Tony was content to stay in the NCIS closet forever. When he’d had enough, (and that day wasn’t far off, if Gibbs continued with his level of bastardry) no matter Tony’s feelings for the man, he would move on and come out of the closet at the same time. After all, there was only so much a man can could take.

Upon Gibbs’s return from Mexico, Tony saw that something was wrong. The more he tried to have the man’s six, the more bastard he became. Many a night Tony had returned home in anger and had thrown something at the wall of his apartment. Equally as often, he sank into despair wondering what he’d done wrong and what he could do to make it right. What options were left when you desperately wanted to help a person who didn’t want to be helped?

Returning to the e-mails - what disturbed him a little was that Hadar, or someone in Israel considered him a danger. Someone wanted him kept occupied - to stop him seeing what Ziva was up to. He had to admit that it had worked. Though, Tony would argue that it wasn’t Ziva’s advances that kept him distracted. Trying to keep your heart beating was a sufficient distraction on its own. Could they want him permanently out of the way? Why would they want him out of the way? Surely Gibbs was more of a danger, not that he wanted Gibbs in the firing line. Even after everything, he’d still prefer to take the bullet in place of Gibbs.

A later e-mail worried Tony.

_Ziva to Amit_

_D has gone off- grid. I have checked the apartment, and phone records and there is nothing. G is becoming more focused again. I will update soon._

Apparently, Tony’s absence was causing ripples. The question was what would happen now? Was Gibbs going to be in the spotlight? Would he become a target?

..oOo..

Although it was evident, Ziva was up to no good, it didn’t stop Tony gathering intel on the other prime members of the MCRT.

Timothy McGemcity was in full author mode. His home computer had taken a half hour longer to access than Trent predicted. Since the success of his first three books and the garbage lifting of his typewriter tapes McGee had transferred his work to the computer and set up firewalls around the files. With the genius level hacking devices at his disposal, Tony had downloaded all his books, and more, including his latest Work In Progress and gaming details. Profiling the contents was an exercise in the world of the weird. It showed that the Elf Lord was barely lord of his on-line gaming domain and the literary world of fantasy. Other’s were catching up fast. While Tony understood the secrecy required for storylines, it wasn’t until he skim-read McGee’s latest manuscript that he realized why the man was keeping it extra secure. It was a story of a Middle Eastern spy who worked in a Navy Yard filtering secrets back home. Even the explosion that almost killed Tony was in there.

“Familiar much? You naughty boy Timothy. You know what Ziva’s up to and are more bothered in a profit than National Security. No wonder you're extra McSneaky.”

He was using the government network and some additional programming to track Ziva, and then, transferring the story onto his home computer. He hardly had to do any writing, or use his imagination. The story was writing itself. It was smart but totally unethical. It wasn’t even as if anyone would take him to court over it, considering how embarrassing it would be, but it could put him on a hit list or two.

Tony was tempted to plant a virus onto Tim’s PC to wipe it, but thought it would make interesting reading for Vance as and when needed. It would also put probie on alert. Tim was a lot of things, but he was sharp as a button when it came to the world of one’s and zero’s. Instead, Tony accessed McGee’s work system and piggybacked a snooper onto his tracking programs.

Then, Tony relaxed back into his seat, what he’d found hit him in the gut. There were times when he’d gotten on so well with Tim that he’d considered him a brother of sorts. An annoying younger brother that needed a backbone – which Tony had been working on – but loved all the same. Tony had even considered dropping a mask or two for him. That idea could burn in hell. Tim’s server contents had proven that he was motivated by things other than national pride. Tony was a man who’d live and let live, and if someone broke his trust, that was a separate deal, yet not unfamiliar part of Tony’s life. But, when a person’s actions put his life or national security in jeopardy, it became a major issue.

The evidence against Ziva was compelling and damning, and regarding attempted homicide - circumstantial. The question was whether McWannabespy was observing, or helping Ziva? Did he have the balls to facilitate murder to give his book a twist and extra plot line? Was he capable of manipulating a situation?

It was a possibility.

Tim had been cruelly vocal to Tony on more than one occasion. His opinions on Tony were particularly evident when Gibbs returned from Mexico and Tim told Tony that he didn’t rate his own team. That episode showed Tony a lot. When Tony thought back, there were odd words here a snide remark there, that pointed toward an underlying… was it jealousy, insecurity or other reaction?

At this stage of the investigation, Tim wasn’t top of the list of suspects but he couldn’t be ruled out either. Given the underhanded revelations of Tim and Ziva, Tony wondered what else he may find.

Ducky and Jimmy weren’t even on the list of suspects. Both had hearts as big as the sun and had never done anything other than being supportive of the team, profession, and country. There was no point in investigating Gibbs – electronically or otherwise. The man didn’t even use an electric razor. Not only that but Tobias had already ruled him out. Tony had used a burn phone to get a direct update from the man, which he received along with a telling off for being a slippery bastard and losing his protection detail.

The Gibbs of old would have done anything he could to uncover the truth. But, this new bastard Gibbs… he wasn’t so sure. Nevertheless, Gibbs was still a man of honor. Tony couldn’t help having a pang or few of disappointment that Gibbs’s involvement was primarily to prove his teams’ innocence. According to Tobias, Gibbs had a hard time believing Tony’s evidence, meager as it was at the start and that hurt.

As things stood, not even Fornell knew what had been uncovered on the MCRT’s private computers. As and when, he hoped the latest details would change Gibbs’ mind.

Tony tried looking at it from Gibbs’s point of view, and he surmised that, if a member of the MCRT were proven guilty, it would reflect on Gibbs’s judgment. There again, something had to be said about the man’s state of mind, when after ten years, Gibbs was giving grief to the person who’d had his loyalty and six for such a long time. Tony hoped that Gibbs’s pride in the job won out. After all, Tony wanted the right man or woman behind bars too.

Tony didn’t want to investigate Abby, and he thought Gibbs would probably refuse to. It didn’t bother Tony much to look into the dealings of Tim and Ziva – especially after the disrespectful way they acted under his command during the Gibbs Mexican siesta. But to do the same with Abby grated on him. He’d shared so many secrets with the woman and to check her dealings when she was most likely innocent could lose him one of the few friends he thought he had. But, there was no denying that Abby hadn’t been herself lately. She also had the capability to commit homicide and leave no trace. A fact she frequently vocalized. Though Tony believed the only person she would actually murder for was Gibbs. Abby was as committed to national security and finding the truth as Gibbs. For Abby, the things that hit her hardest were personal problems. So, the question to answer regarding the forensic scientists was – what had Tony done to Gibbs to elicit such a reaction from Abby? He’d clearly done something for Gibbs to up the anti on his bastard ways, but was it enough for Abby to want to rid the world of him?

With his injuries much better, Tony decided it was time to use good old fashioned leg work with a touch of Mission Impossible electronic wizardry to keep an eye on the MCRT.

Tony reached for his cell and dialled a familiar number, “I need Agent Black Lung.”

..oOo..

Later that night, Tony sighed before he entered the coffee shop. He’d kept his distance to make sure that Jimmy wasn’t followed – which he wasn’t. Unfortunately, Jimmy had a guest with him. Tony slid into the booth looking like he was a one-armed, gang member reject meeting his parole officer. “Hey, Jimmy, Ducky.”

Jimmy immediately started to apologize, “I’m sorry Tony. Somehow he knew.”

“It’s alright Jimmy, I should have known. Ducky may not be as spritely in the body as he once was, but he has wicked ninja mental skills.”

Ducky finished his visual medical assessment of Tony before he said anything. “Well thank you, dear boy. I’m impressed that Jimmy managed to hide his movements for as long as he did. You’ve taught him well.”

“True praise from a master mentalist.”

“Indeed. If my skills are that legendary, I have to wonder why you attempted to keep me at bay for so long. I’m not sure if I should be offended or grateful, young Anthony. But here I am, nonetheless.”

“Plausible deniability, Duck. The fewer that know, the better. When did you sus it out?”

“My reservations were aroused when you signed yourself out of Bradley’s care. The act itself wasn’t uncommon for you, but your subsequent disappearance raised my suspicions. Since then, I noticed various members of the MCRT acting somewhat out of character. You are all suspicious by nature, but there was always an underlying sense of trust. That seems to have disappeared. And I think I will need more than our meeting here to attempt an explanation of Jethro’s behavior. The man has displayed more variances in temper in recent months than there are elements in the periodic table. It reminds me of my time back in Edinburgh, a colleague of mine…”

“Okay, Ducky. Like you said, we have limited time. I don’t want to be in one place for too long. I do wanna hear about that guy later, though. I bet you were a wild student.”

Ducky lightly chuckled. “Oh yes, but life was different then. My apologies dear boy, do carry on.”

“I’ll let Jimmy fill you in on some of the finer details. But, in a nutshell, someone’s trying to kill me, and someone inside NCIS is or is helping the perp.”

“Oh, my! Are you alright Anthony?”

While giving Ducky an affirmative nod, Tony gave Jimmy a look that indicated that he should leave out certain factors, like Trent. Jimmy nodded in understanding. Then Tony retrieved an envelope from his pocket. “I need these attached to, primarily cars, but whatever you think appropriate that won’t find its way into MTAC.”

“What are they?” Jimmy inquired.

“Trackers. When I know where people are, I can get ears on them easy enough.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Anthony, if you have no objection while you are incognito, would you submit to me being Black Lung’s handler. I am rather partial to the odd covert operation.”

“Of course Ducky provided Jimmy’s okay with it, too.”

Jimmy immediately agreed. He was glad to have such support in the office.

Dr. Mallard sported a puffed chest and a grin. “Please don’t misunderstand the smile, Anthony. The seriousness of your predicament is far from lost on me, and I’m more than happy to do whatever may assist. It’s just rather nice to have a focus out of autopsy every so often.”

“That’s alright Ducky, I understand.” A brainwave hit Tony. “In fact Ducky I have a favor to ask. It will probably a touch uncomfortable to complete, but it needs to be done, and you have the perfect skill set.”

“Ask away.”

“Abby! I need you to find out what’s going on in that head of hers. Something’s not right, and I can’t think of anyone better to retrieve the information without her clamming up. Only, her mood swings, with everything else going on, doesn’t look good for her.”

“I see. Yes, of course.”

Tony turned to Jimmy, “Black Lung. Keep up the good work. At this moment in time, all information is relevant.”

“You can count on us, Tony.”

Tony got ready to leave, but Ducky stopped him, “How are your injuries, Anthony? I should have asked at the start, but you didn’t seem to be distressed by them.”

“For once, I’m following doctor’s orders. I wanna catch this bastard, and I can’t do that if I have a fever or my injuries aren’t healed. My arm is what it is. It itches like crazy under the cast, but it doesn’t ache anywhere near as much as it did. My ribs hurt if I move too fast, but on the whole I think they’re doing okay. The majority of my stitches are out so can’t complain there. I’m not alone out there Ducky.”

“Good to hear.”

Tony disappeared into the night, and Ducky turned to Jimmy, “Come on then Mr. Palmer. We have a mission to complete. It’s time you gave me all the facts that you are allowed to without destroying confidences.”

Jimmy smiled. The good doctor had excellent ninja skills indeed. “Yes, Doctor.”

..oOo..

While Tony was out, he took the back alleys and let himself into Brad’s apartment via the fire escape, and through the spare room window.

“Oh God, yes. Harder, right there. Ooohhhhh.” Were the words that greeted Tony.

He knew those voices. It was obvious who was home from his latest mission. Tony relaxed on the couch and closed his eyes. He knew Brad and Trent wouldn’t mind him overhearing. If anything it would appeal to their kinky side and make them go at it harder. As it was, Tony was calmed by the loving sounds that emanated from the bedroom.

It was impossible for Tony to be in the presence of people having sex and not be aroused himself. He palmed the tent growing in his pants and imagined a particular silver fox’s hand there instead. Instant erection. Tony breathed deeper and pressed harder – unable to stop his hips from rolling in the seat. He was getting into it when…

“Damn that’s sexy.”

Tony startled out of his fantasy, hissing at the sudden movement of his ribs, to see the amused faces and robed forms of Brad and Trent.

From his position behind Brad, Trent mumbled into Brad’s neck, “He could have joined us.” Trent’s hand disappeared inside the flap of Brad’s robe, “I can feel you getting hard again already. You animal.”

“I’d invite him in with us again, babe, if I thought he’d take us up on it. Though he clearly needs some release.”

Tony jumped in, “Thanks, but I’ll take care of it another time. I don’t want to disturb your reunion, but I was close and thought you’d like to check on my bandages.”

“Of course. Come here first and give me a kiss.”

Slowly, Tony rose from the couch and made his way over to Brad, who released himself from Trent. He enveloped Tony in a hug, before planting a kiss on him. Tony shared a one armed hug and a kiss on the cheek with Trent too.

Brad took hold of Tony’s elbow. “Good to see you, my friend. Come on – I’ll cover that arm. You can remove the bandages in the shower. I’ll redress them when you come out.”

 Once Tony’s cast was covered in cling film he made his way to the shower. Brad shouted after him, “And take care of that boner while you’re in there.”

“Yes, doc.” 

While Tony and Brad were in the spare room Trent went to make something to eat, shouting along the way, “I picked up some extra clothes from your apartment. They’re in the cupboard.”

“Thanks, man.”

In the shower, Tony completed his fantasy, while the sticky of his bandages succumbed to the loosening effects of water and soap. He took hold of his cock and started with long slow strokes. As the water cascaded down his body, Tony added in a twist, a tug and a roll of his balls. Soon, Tony was leaning against the wall and pumping with ferocity. A guttural groan later, long white ribbons pulsed from him, and Tony was left gasping for breath.

When he regained his equilibrium, he filled his hand with shower gel and lathered himself up from again from top to toe. He loved shower time. He peeled off the remains of the bandages and ran clear water over the areas. On his exit, he dabbed his cuts as best he could with one hand, but after struggling to wrap a towel around his lower half, he abandoned the idea and walked into the bedroom naked.

Out in the bedroom, Brad was in doctor mode. He’d spread a supply of dressings on the side and had draped two clean towels over the comforter for Tony to lie on. Tony made his way to the bed. He had no issues of nudity at any time, let alone in front of someone who knew his body intimately.

 First, Brad unwrapped Tony’s arm. “How was working on the computer?”

“It ached a bit to start with, but it’s been fine this last couple of days.”

“Okay then. If you stay here overnight, we’ll go in early and get the cast replaced with a brace. That should make life a touch more comfortable. Lie down.” With Tony’s time in hospital and his time out, it was possible for him to replace the cast with a brace. Though it would be another couple or so weeks before it was fully healed.

“Great.”Tony smiled, he looked forward to giving it a good scratch.

One by one, Brad inspected each of his scars and dealt with the most serious injuries that hadn’t quite healed. “These are doing fine. Only the one on your hip needs a dressing now, and the bruises on your legs are barely noticeable.”

As Brad checked out Tony’s ribs, he asked him to take a few deep breaths and gauged his reactions. He also, heated up his stethoscope and gave Tony a full physical. Pulling the instrument from his ears, he smiled. “I never thought I’d see the day when you actually followed my orders. You’re healing well my friend. Your ribs will need a little longer, so I’m going to strap those up again. Don’t go out doing a Jason Bourne without Trent. It’ll put you right back on my table.” He warned. “If you think a situation is going to be dangerous, wear body protection.”

“Okay, if it makes you happy, Tent and I can go out together. We’ll be like the Lone Ranger and Tonto. Me, the suave masked one, and Trent, the rough-and-ready sidekick.”

From the doorway came, “Think again DiNozzo. I’ll have your back, but I will not have a feather, imaginary or not, anywhere near me.”

“He’s right Tony. I’ve tried feathers. He won’t even wear them for the Rocky Horror. He’s a strawberries and cream with an ice-pick in his hand kind of guy.”

Trent snorted, “Come on you two, dinner’s ready.”

..oOo..

In the early hours, Brad escorted Tony to the hospital, with Trent keeping a safe distance. He removed the cast and replaced it with a brace. As they exited, Tony pulled up short when he met a familiar face.

“Gibbs.”

..oOo..

 


	5. chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony confronts Gibbs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I woke early and thought - what the hell, I'll post this chapter early.
> 
> Also, given some of the comments and the confusion that could happen in future chapters, I've decided to post a story so far bit from now on.
> 
> Story so far  
> Tony realizes someone from the MCRT is out to kill him. Everyone is a suspect except for Jimmy and Ducky who are keeping an eye on NCIS. Vance offers help and gets FBI Tobias Fornell to assist. Tony leaves hospital AMA and loses Fornell. Tony enlists Trent Kort and does his snooping. Only Brad knows about Trent.  
> Fornell and Gibbs have a heart to heart and Gibbs decides he’s in because he doesn’t believe that any of his team would try to kill Tony.  
> Meanwhile, Tony and Trent discover Ziva and McGee are up to no good. No one knows what planet Abby is on.  
> At this stage, Fornell, Vance nor Gibbs knows what Tony and Trent have discovered.
> 
> Disclaimer - as always I own nothing NCIS related.

**Chapter Five**

Brad slipped away with his cell to his ear, while Tony turned to Gibbs, “How’d you find me?”

Gibbs displayed his usual matter of fact face, “Knew you had to get your cast off sometime.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve been camped out here, waiting for the day my cast comes off?”

“I’ve had broken bones before, too, DiNozzo. Had a rough idea of when the cast could come off.” Gibbs said with a shrug.

Tony shook his head, “Guess there’re some things you can’t avoid.”

“Come on,” Gibbs crooked his finger and walked away in his trademark long black coat, fully expecting Tony to follow.

“Um, I don’t think so Boss.” Tony took a step backward, in the direction Brad had gone. “I know you’re on the side of the good guys and all, but I’ll take care of myself, thanks.”

Gibbs reversed his stride and came up to within an inch of Tony and whispered, “We need to talk.”

Tony smiled, but the smile lines weren’t visible around his eyes. “Now, you wanna talk. Typical. It takes my life on the line and a disappearing act for you to wanna talk.” Tony took a few deep breaths to calm himself and showed his more serious face.

Under normal conditions, he’d have jumped at the chance to have a one to one with Gibbs. He knew they had a lot to sort, but he wasn’t in the frame of mind to deal with the man. He was hurt and too angry to roll over to Gibbs’s will.

He leaned in to within a hairs breath of his boss and looked him straight in the eyes. “You’re right, we do need to talk. But you’ve had months to talk to me, and you didn’t. Well, not now. I’m not on the clock, Gibbs. So, I’ll find you at a time that’s convenient for me.”

Tony disappeared around the corner and through a side door. When Gibbs tried to follow, he was blocked by Brad, “Leave him be. He said he’d find you.”

Gibbs pushed past Brad, but by the time he exited the building, Tony was gone. At that moment Gibbs truly knew he’d lost Tony’s trust, and that sent a lump to his throat.

..oOo..

While Tony was waiting for the trackers to come online, he and Trent bought several burn phones. Tony also met with Tobias – just the two of them. The man blew a gasket when informed about Ziva’s activities. He was none too pleased with McGee either and suggested that unless the man was on an undercover mission, sanctioned by director Vance, he was in deep doo-doo.

Fornell was chomping at the bit to go in and arrest Ziva, but, he understood that she was, in all likelihood, part of a network. Fornell wanted to close down the whole operation. He suggested that Tony increase his efforts to find his perp, as with the information provided, and Director Vance’s buy-in, a new operation was going to launch. Then, the moment the FBI legally obtained evidence of the spy ring, they’d move in.

He’d continue to help Tony, but what started off as a manhunt connected to a single crime had snowballed into something much bigger. That wider operation was of critical importance, and Tony fully agreed that Fornell should concentrate his efforts on it.

Fornell handed over the information he had to date. Apparently, there were a few members within NCIS who were doing things they shouldn’t, but they were severely bending the rules rather than participating in anything illegal. Their activities would be monitored and records made. Background checks also hadn’t revealed anyone in cahoots with potential grudge takers. Given the number of offenses against Tony - timelines suggested that only a handful of people had the opportunity and means to carry them out. He agreed with Tony, in that the person wasn’t acting alone.

One way or another, the attempt on Tony’s life uncovered deeds that would affect NCIS in a way that it wouldn’t be the same again. The revelation left both men drinking coffee in silent contemplation.

“Are you going to be okay, Tony?”

Tony nodded, not taking his eyes off the table. “Yeah, I have someone watching my back.”

“So, you’ve spoken to Gibbs then?”

“Erm, nope.” Tony wasn’t about to give Trent’s identity away. If nothing else, it would spoil the man’s reputation. “Well not exactly. Gibbs tried to talk this morning, just after I had my cast off. I wasn’t in the best of moods, so I did a runner.”

“Can’t say I blame you, but he’s gotta know what’s happening with his kids. Do you want to break the bad news to him or shall I?”

Tony didn’t want to talk to Gibbs so soon after their earlier confrontation. However, once he’d gotten a lot off his chest to Fornell, his head was a little clearer to think about Gibbs. Curiosity gnawed at Tony – he considered it his biggest asset and possibily his bigges flaw. Either way, it made him inquisitive as to the specifics of what Gibbs thought they had to talk about.

Sure, he’d had romantic feelings towards the man for a long time – no, not romantic feelings – love. If Tony was truthful with himself, he loved Gibbs more than life, and it had been that way for a long time. Yes, Tony was angry in the hospital, but his heart cracked a little more with every step he took away from the man. No matter how he tried, there was something about Gibbs that he couldn’t get over. Why else would Tony take his shit for such a long time? It was if Gibbs was fused to him. To some, love was justification for forgiving all transgressions. A few would even argue that if Tony wasn’t prepared to forgive, that he didn’t truly love Gibbs. Nevertheless, for Tony, love alone was not justification for forgiving and forgetting all transgressions, just because Gibbs crooked his finger and said, “We need to talk.”

For all Tony knew, another, albeit more subtle, blasting was on its way to accompany the biting remarks and put downs he’d endured over previous months. Tony could understand some of the remarks that came his way. He thought a few were justified - after all, his dad had always said that he’d end up in the gutter. Tony had his masks and fronts, too, which several were liable to misinterpret.

In the beginning, Tony fought his corner, but whenever he did that the perpetrator was backed by the others, and the insults tripled. Tony didn’t see the point in inviting more trouble, so he closed his mouth and weathered the storm. He was sure, other members of NCIS, and most definitely the MCRT saw Tony’s silence as submission. On a few occasions it was, but Tony knew that above all else he was a survivor and disguises could be useful.

The explosion was one hell of a wake-up-call. Tony had his pride, and the time had come for him not to be ridden roughshod over any longer. He needed an explanation or a hint at … at something that he could use to put aside the hurt and betrayal that he felt. Whatever he and Gibbs talked about – the manner of the conversation would determine their future relationship – at least workwise.

Fornell coughed bringing Tony’s attention back to him.

“Sorry Tobias. I’m tempted to you let you take the wrath of Gibbs. But, whatever he has to say to me isn’t going to go away.”

Fornell could deliver the facts efficiently enough, but Tony also wanted to see the look in Gibbs' eyes when he spoke to the man. He’d know by Gibbs’s eyes whether he believed the evidence. That look would determine what Tony did when the fiasco was over. Whether he had a future in NCIS. Whether he could trust Gibbs again. Because no matter what, things were going to be different, and Tony needed to know if he and Gibbs could weather the tornado that was about to hit.

One thing was for sure – word of mouth wasn’t going to cut it; he’d need the file of evidence. So, soon after leaving Tobias, and checking his body for any bugs the whiley FBI man could have sneaked into a pocket, Tony and Trent copied the information they had and made their way to Gibbs’s place.

Trent dropped off Tony and went to park somewhere concealed and safe.

..oOo..

Gibbs was in his basement. What put him on alert was the sound of his front door opening. The sound of sneakers, not shoes made their way over his wooden floor. He didn’t know many that wore sneakers and the footfalls didn’t match them. Gibbs reached for his gun and sat in readiness, with his firearm aimed at the doorway. As it opened, and the dark clad body eased through, Gibbs was taken aback at the familiar outline. He wasn’t used to seeing the man without his suit, and Gibbs wasn’t sure whether to be apprehensive or glad Tony had turned up so soon after their earlier confrontation. He put the lock back on his weapon and returned it to the bench. Then he looked to Tony with an expectantly raised eyebrow.

“Right. I guess the ‘we need to talk’ bit was me talking and you listening. Okay then.” Tony took a deep breath, stepped off the last stair and delved into the information he need to deliver. “Well your little ninja protégé, has been playing a dangerous game of ‘the French Resistance’ only she’s not playing on the side of good. At least not the USA’s good. She’s playing with a list of felons as long as your arm. She’s also being a little Mata Hari aiding Mossad illegal activities in the US. On the bright side, we’re not the only one’s she’s playing. CI-Ray is in it too, but the extent has yet to be determined.”

Gibbs eyes widened in shock. He’d wanted Tony to talk first so that he could gauge the man’s mood, before they moved onto other subjects. But, of all the things he expected Tony to say, it wasn’t that the woman he’d come to think of as a daughter was a grade ‘A’ spy. Of course, given her background, she was capable of it, but Gibbs didn’t think she’d actually do it. Since his meeting with Fornell he’d been keeping a closer eye on everyone in the office, but Ziva hadn’t been any more secretive than normal. “I can’t believe Ziver would do that.”

Tony wasted no time with his reply. It was blunt and to the point. “Can’t or won’t Gibbs? What did you think would happen? One encounter with you and Ziva would put aside a lifetime of intense Mossad training. Even if her father wasn’t the director, it would be one helluv-an-ask. She never has, nor ever will put America first. She knows where her home is, and it’s been her life’s work to service it. If she can kill her own brother on an instruction from her father, then there’s a cat in hells chance of her developing a conscience over you, me or anyone at NCIS. Wake up and smell the shit that’s going on under your nose.”

Gibbs sat on his saw-horse and rubbed his hands over his face.

“Oh, and it gets better. Your Elf Lord knows all about Miss Snake-In-The-Grass and is using the details for his latest best seller. “

Gibbs didn’t say anything.

“How all of this ties to me being a some assholes hit list, I don’t know. They may not be related at all. I haven’t connected the dots yet. Do you have the results of the bombing yet? I bet they were inconclusive.”

Again, Gibbs didn’t say anything.

“Yeah well, believe me - or not - there’s the evidence on your kids. Oh and you can expect a visit from Fornell. He’ll be heading up the investigation into their activities.” Tony placed the folder on the bench beside Gibbs.

As he turned to walk away, a hand gripped his wrist. Tony immediately stopped but kept his focus on the door he so desperately wanted to be walking out of. He’d seen the look in Gibbs' eyes. The man was having trouble believing what Tony had told him. It was another nail in the coffin of their working relationship.

“What happened to us, Tony? Why didn’t you come to me with all this at the start?”

That question left fielded Tony. Nevertheless, he answered it honestly, “You stopped trusting me Gibbs.” He went to move away, but Gibbs held on tight. “Look, Gibbs, I get it alright. You don’t believe people you worked with for years could do this. Trust me I’m familiar with that. In that folder there’re phone conversations, translations and a whole bunch of other stuff on your team – check it yourself. Eli David will be proud of his daughter. If she’d used those efforts for US gain, she’d be one hell of an asset. But she’s not.”

“You keep on saying, your this, and your that. They’re our team, Tony.”

“No, they’re not. They’ve not been my team for a long time. And given the evidence, I’m not even sure they consider the MCRT a team at all. At one time, the MCRT was something special. We all belonged to you; we’d die for each other and for you. It was that way when Kate was around. Some of us would still die for you. Now it’s a vehicle for espionage and selfish gains. I can’t trust it or them. In the immortal words of Lord Elrond, ‘our list of allies grows thin’, but I’ve found a few.”

“Who?”

That was a loaded question from a movie and personal perspective, so Tony deflected. “You know Boss, this is the first time we’ve spoken like adults in months. It’s nice and all, but, that doesn’t mean I’m going to open up to you like I used to. Damage has been done, and it’s going to need some repairing. That is if you want to.”

Tony looked down at his wrist where Gibbs was still holding on to him. He took hold of Gibbs' hand and gently removed it from him. “Look at the evidence in the folder. Check it out. Decide for yourself if you believe it. Then make your mind up as to what or who you’re going to trust. That part of it’s out of my hands now. I’ve got an assassin to find.” Tony turned tail and headed for the stairs.

As he reached them, Gibbs shouted out, “I’m Sorry.”

Tony was so shocked to hear the forbidden words that he whipped around and tripped over his feet. He landed heavily on the wooden stairs, the edge of which dug into his broken ribs. All the air went out of Tony and he gritted his teeth at the pain. He heard the scrape of wood on the floor and hurried footsteps toward him.

Careful hands clasped his shoulders and a firm body took his weight as he uncurled from his pained position. Tony was conflicted between allowing the man to help and pushing him away. Tony had his eyes closed, concentrating on breathing to regulate the pain. So he allowed the contact until he deemed himself sufficiently recovered to make an escape.

When Gibbs saw Tony fall, he leaped to his feet like he’d been stung and headed straight to him. Tony’s scrunched face and labored breathing told him of the pain he was in. Gibbs didn’t want to cause Tony further injury by rolling him onto his back on the hard stairs, so he straightened him up on his own body. The new position allowed Tony to breathe better. Without thinking Gibbs ran his hand up and down Tony’s back in a soothing gesture.

As Tony calmed, so did Gibbs and soon both men stayed in the position for no other reason than comfort. Tony’s head lay heavily on Gibbs shoulder and Gibbs moved his hand up Tony’s back into his hair. It was soft, like silk as it slipped smoothly through his fingers. When Gibbs heard a contented sigh from Tony, he realized what he’d done and it made him jump. That in turn startled Tony and the moment was lost.

“Come on. Let’s get you off these stairs,” Gibbs said huskily.

Tony stayed quiet and didn’t fight the action.

Together they managed to get out of the basement and into Gibbs’s lounge. Gibbs eased Tony onto the couch, and before he let him go, he whispered into Tony’s ear, “I do trust you Tony. And I do want to repair the damage.”

Tony looked to Gibbs with wide eyes. All it would take was one movement and their skin would be intimately connected. Gibbs looked at him and Blue met Green. Tony could feel Gibbs’s breath on his face and his hand around his back. Tony swallowed unsure whether to believe his ears or the charge between them.

“Stay there, I’ll make some coffee then check your ribs.”

Tony stayed silent as Gibbs made his way to the kitchen – his thoughts a mass of contradictions. _Gibbs was being nice. That was never good. I want him to be nice to me. I can’t let him be nice to me. Gibbs was going to get my shirt off. Oh heaven. It’s only for medical reasons. He won’t see a medical reason in my tented trousers. But it felt so good being held by him. Yes, so good. In deep shit here. Got to escape._

In a stealthy maneuver Gibbs would have been proud of Tony held his breath to brace his ribs, slipped off his sneakers and made his exit.

When Gibbs returned to his lounge, it was just in time to see his front door click into place. The coffee’s hit the floor and he lunged for the door. Outside, Tony had already reached the bottom of the drive and was headed along the sidewalk – sneakers in one hand, cell in the other.

“Tony!”

There was no reaction. In fact Tony’s pace increased. Gibbs ran after him.

Gibbs rounded the corner in time to see Tony hop into a black SUV and speed off. It was dark and without his glasses Gibbs couldn’t make out the plate. “GAhhhhhhhhhhh,” Gibbs roared to the sky as the car turned the corner and went out of sight. That was the second time Tony had run out on him, and he didn’t like it one bit. He returned to his house, hitting the door so hard that it banged back against the wall. It was a rarity that Gibbs locked his front door, but he did it. He didn’t want any more visitors that night, unless it was Tony. Though he knew in his gut, it wouldn’t happen. Gibbs leaned against the wood and sighed, “At least you have someone you can trust Tony, if they’re prepared to hide you from me. Just let me in too.”

Gibbs grabbed some tea towels and quickly dealt with the spilled coffee and broken mugs. He then disappeared downstairs and opened the file Tony had given him.

..oOo..

In the SUV Trent eyed his friend. Tony hadn’t said anything other than, “Can we see Brad,” since he’d entered the car. Trent would normally take silence over conversation, but curiosity won out. “What had you running like a scalded cat out of the Lion’s den?”

Without turning his head, Tony answered, “Gibbs was nice.”

Trent shook his head, “I don’t think I’ll ever completely understand you.”

“You’re not the only one.”

All stayed quiet until they reached Brad’s.

Trent delivered Tony into Brad’s hands with the comment, “Be careful, Gibbs was nice to him.” Then, Trent made himself visibly scarce, though not audially, while Tony talked to Brad. He knew Brad would get to the bottom of whatever was bothering his friend. Trent cared for Tony, but he didn’t have the same level of understanding that Brad had. Caring was a natural thing for Brad, not so much for Trent. For him it took a lot of cultivation.

Tony told Brad everything that happened since leaving the hospital, earlier. Brad listened while he checked and rewrapped Tony’s ribs. The fall had jolted the breaks but not ruptured them. Throughout the whole explanation Brad noticed Tony shaking. At first he thought the man was cold, but Brad’s home was warm.

“You’re shaking Tony. Come here.” Brad enveloped Tony in a comforting embrace.

Tony automatically compared the Brad hug to the Gibbs one. Both were good, but Tony felt something extra in Gibbs’s. “He was within kissing distance Brad. He was being nice and caring, and so damned close. I could almost taste the burbon.”

“And so you ran?”

“Oh yeah. After being such a bastard all these months. Suddenly he’s there, being nice. And the situation was so intimate. I was sure I was seeing…hoping for something that wasn’t there. My head was like a tossed salad. What if I kissed him and I’d read it wrong - huh? I wouldn’t need an assassin after me, I’d already be dead.”

Brad hugged Tony to him tighter, “Shh, shh Tony. I know, I know. “ He kissed the side of Tony’s head, and the man calmed. Brad didn’t know what to think about Gibbs reactions to Tony. He didn’t dare vocalize what he thought for fear he was wrong, and that would give Tony false hope. But it looked to Brad as though Gibbs had been doing some soul searching and was seeing Tony in a way he never had before.

..oOo..

 


	6. chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gibbs reflects, Ducky does his thing and McGee gets a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An absolute mammoth thank you to everyone. Your response to my story has been overwhelming and I am truly grateful.
> 
> Story so far  
> Someone in the MCRT is out to kill Tony and Vance ropes in Fornell to help. Tony goes AMA and, unknown to all, enlists his long term friend Trent Kort. Trent and Tony discover Tim and Ziva are up to no good, and they’re not sure what planet Abby is on.  
> Ducky, Jimmy and Gibbs are in the clear. In fact it’s Ducky’s assignment, to assess Abby.  
> Tony tells Fornell about McGee and Ziva and Fornell launches a new investigation. Tony informs Gibbs aswell, but does a runner when Gibbs starts being nice.  
> Vance doesn’t know of the discoveries yet, and doesn’t know that Gibbs has been cleared. But, Fornell will be asking permission to access their systems and thus he will know about McGee and Ziva, only.
> 
>  
> 
> As always I own nothing NCIS, and all mistakes are my own.

* * *

 

**Chapter Six**

As Gibbs read through the folder, he recognized many of the names on Ziva’s contact list. It was a dangerous list, for sure; and far too long to be associated with any of the cases they’d recently cracked. As for the translated e-mails – they were disturbing. Ziva’s opinion of Tony seemed drastically different to that of Hadar’s. Most likely due, in part, to the way, that everyone had treated DiNozzo, himself included. Who followed who’s lead, he wasn’t prepared to take 100% of the blame there. On reflection, Gibbs thought that maybe all three of them were feeding off one another. Regardless, Ziva was playing the espionage Monopoly Board which would, in all likelihood, land her in jail, unless her father rescued her. Gibbs didn’t need to check the evidence. He knew Tony would never give him false information.

All of a sudden, it was if the shades had been opened, and the light let back in. He saw clearer than at any time since his return from Mexico. He could see how both he and Tony, one way or another, had been skillfully led to the slaughter by Jenny. Not that she deserved all the blame. Gibbs recognized that, at the time, he was in the frame of mind to be led.

The arrival of Vance only succeeded in grating on his nerves. He fully expected Vance to split up his team. At least that’s what the scuttlebutt said. But he didn’t. All the same, it made Gibbs protect, who he considered to be vulnerable. In this case, he’d made the wrong call. He’d allowed himself to be manipulated, and that didn’t sit well with Gibbs at all.

He couldn’t believe that McGee was so stupid as to ignore his duty to write a story. With his skills he could have had a big bucks job in computers. Maybe fame was his vice. Then again, Gibbs supposed everyone had their price; it just depended on the currency being offered. What happened to Tim’s vow to protect and serve? Was McGee being seduced by the fame of another potential best seller? Did he see it as an opportunity to shine above everyone? Be number one in his field? Was there another cause for his actions? He hoped beyond all hope that Tim was acting under Vance’s orders, preferably higher – SecNav perhaps.

The contents of the file before him saddened and annoyed Gibbs. He was annoyed that both he and his country were being played and that innocent people had been hurt in the process – Tony being the prime example. A victim he’d help make. Since when had his gut been so wrong?

Gibbs’s own sub-conscience was providing a few of those answers.

..oOo..

At the Navy Yard, Ducky paid Abby a visit. For the last few days, he and Jimmy had managed to leave trackers in quite a few places. Some were harder to get at than others. Abby was one, as she changed her complete attire more frequently than anyone. The only constant feature was gothic. He’d also been studying her, and Tony was right, something was bothering her.

Ducky called out her name, but the music was too loud to be heard. So, he walked up to her shoulder and tapped it. Abby turned around with a jump and squealed, “Duckyyyyyyyy,” and threw her arms around him.

True to the rumors, she didn’t let go. Ducky waited and waited and waited and still Abby’s clinch didn’t waiver. Generally, being in the arms of a beautiful young lady wouldn’t have fazed Ducky in the least – he’d have rather enjoyed it. But, the way in which Abby was hanging onto him was bordering on the awkward. Given Ducky’s smaller than average height; a small change in his viewing direction would have been a perv’s delight.  He tapped her back several times, “Um Abigail, my dear. As pleasant as your hugs are, I would rather like to breathe.”

“OMG, I’m so sorry Ducky. What can I do for you?”

She had loosened her grip but was still holding on to him, “Releasing me, would be a good start.”

“Oh, yes, yes, sorry Duckman.”

“I was wondering if I may bother you for a lift home tonight. My Morgan is in the garage, and I rather fear for my constitution when in a car with Jethro or Ziva. Timothy kindly brought me in this morning, but he’s working on something and won’t be going home until later tonight. And Mr. Palmer has a date with the lovely Breena. I wouldn’t have bothered you, and taken public transport, but I haven’t seen you for a while, and I thought we might have a nice cup of tea to finish the journey.”

Abby put her hands to her chest, “Awww, that would be wonderful Ducky. Consider it a date.”

“Splendid. Splendid. I’ll see you around five then.”

Ducky went to leave but was engulfed in another Abby hug before he got to the door. He used the excuse of being late with his quarterly inventory of test tubes to escape.

Later that day at Ducky’s home, (tracker conveniently dropped beneath the seat in Abby’s car) he placed the cup and saucer before Abby. He offered her the biscuits and put the tin in the center of the table before sitting next to her. “Are you alright my dear? You seem a touch troubled.”

“Oh, I’m alright Ducky. I just miss my silver fox. He’s been so preoccupied that I’ve hardly seen him.”

“I understand, my dear. But in his defense, he has had a lot to deal with since the explosion and Anthony’s absence.”

There was silence at the table until Ducky prompted, “Abigail?”

“Ducky… Don’t get me wrong. I love Tony. But, all it’s been lately is Tony this, Tony that. Have you got the results on Tony’s explosion Abs?” Abby talked with her hands as much as her mouth.

“He cares for Anthony; that’s why. He’d be the same if any of you were in a similar predicament.”

“I know Ducky. I like Tony and all, but, the way Gibbs has been and the amount of mess-up’s Tony’s been making. He’d be better leaving Tony where he is. As much as it pains me, too, I think he should consider assigning Tony to another team.”

“You can’t be serious, my dear. On what premise have you come to these conclusions?”

“Well, Timmy and Ziva have said that he’s not pulling his weight on the cases and hasn’t come up with anything useful in months. They’ve been carrying him. I know he used to be the best, but since Gibbs returned from Mexico, Tony has really been dropping the ball, else Gibbs wouldn’t have to tell him off so often.”

“Oh, my.” Ducky’s expression was shock at Abby’s perception of reality. Abby took his words as agreement.

“Exactly, Ducky that’s what I’m saying. Tony’s become a liability. Even more so now that Gibbs is obsessing over him.  Distraction makes for injury. Like I said, I love Tony, but Gibbs is mine Ducky, not Tony’s.”

Ducky balked at the sudden change from Team dynamics to Jethro particular. “Surely, Jethro belongs to himself first, then to whomever he chooses. If he’s obsessing, as you say, over Anthony, then that’s an issue for Jethro – no one else.”

“Of course you are right Ducky. But sometimes friends need to intervene when people can’t help themselves. I think you’ll find that Gibbs has always been mine. He’s my rock; my go-to man for everything except sex.” Abby laughed, “My tastes have always been more varied than Gibbs’.”

Ducky processed Abby’s words while she ate a Hobnob. Again there was yin and yang in her words.

“So, does it not bother you that Anthony was blown up? And two other officers families have had their lives ruined. Should Jethro not strive to solve the mystery?”

“Of course it matters Ducky. Like I said, I love Tony, but I want my silver fox back.” With the last sentence, Abby ground her teeth and crushed the biscuit.

Ducky sat back in the belief that Abby had been severely misguided. It was evident from her sentence structure that she was flitting from one thought to another in her head. Indeed, she needed Jethro to talk some sense into her. He could also see why Anthony was worried about her. With what had been happening to the man – as distasteful as it was – Abby was capable, and could not be discounted as a suspect in his investigation. Abby was a person who would do anything for Jethro. Her devotion to him was blinding. If she’d been brainwashed into thinking Anthony should go, then she could make it happen. He needed to talk to Abby more before taking his conclusions to Jethro.

Ducky, patted Abby on the hand, absentmindedly, “Give him time, my dear. Give him time.”

“Yeahhhh,” she drawled and ate another Hobnob.

..oOo..

Gibbs sat in on his couch for a long time, thinking. The last few days had been weird or as Abby would put it… hinky. It was as if he was undercover again, watching his back at every turn. Who was he kidding? He was undercover again. Only, it was difficult for him to reconcile the fact that he was spying on people he’d trusted for several years. In many ways that thought, as much as it disappointed and saddened Gibbs, it made him determined, too. Determined to rid the agency and his country of those who would harm it. And in the process hopefully discover the identity of the one who wanted Tony dead.

Through his thought process, Gibbs couldn’t help wondering where Tony was hiding. Who was helping him? How the hell he’d managed to find all the information on his team. He was missing something, and he was sure that something was right in front of him.

Since the night Tony had turned up, given him the folder then fled for what Gibbs determined was no good reason, he’d spoken to Fornell who had brought him up to speed with developments as he knew them. Unfortunately, time was not in their favor. Gibbs was not a patient man and Tony only had another few days before he was due to return to work. If he didn’t turn up people would start asking questions. Gibbs believed there was another option/angle – another who could contribute to the investigation.

That person was stewing in Gibbs’ basement sanding a stray piece of wood he’d been given with the instruction, “Sand it.”

Earlier, Ziva had packed up her desk and disappeared, while Tim stayed at his, engrossed in something on his screen. At least he was until Gibbs loomed over him.

“Err, can I help you, Boss?”

“Grab your gear. You’re with me.”

“Um, have we got a case, Boss. Shouldn’t I call Ziva?” he asked as he shuffled behind Gibbs towards the elevator.

“Ziver’s gone for the night. This is just you and me.”

Before long, Gibbs pulled up at his home and had divested the lad of his electronic devices saying, “Ya don’t need those to work wood.”

The only question that came from McGee was, “Is this what you used to do with Tony when he came here?” The smile that graced McGee’s face suggested he was being given a treat. The smile somehow didn’t fit with what had been happening over the last few months. The comment smacked of competition between the two, maybe jealousy.

Anyhow, with what Gibbs had sorted in his head about Tony, he was sure sanding a piece of wood most certainly wasn’t what he’d do with Tony in his basement. His thoughts turned sad when it then struck him how long it had been since Tony had willingly sat in his basement.

Gibbs gave his instructions and left Tim to it.

Unknown to McGee, Fornell was already at the house, waiting upstairs. He quietly made his way to ground level and joined his friend.

After a while, Gibbs decided it was time to have a chat with his subordinate.

When the door to the basement opened, McGee had stowed his jacket on the bench and was rubbing the wood in a way that made both Gibbs and Fornell cringe. It looked more like the man was trying to rub out a stain than smooth the damned stuff.

“Ya gotta go with the grain,” Gibbs observed, which brought Tim out of his bubble.

It was obvious the minute McGee noticed that Gibbs wasn’t alone, as he fumbled the paper and wood. “Erm, Agent Fornell. How nice to see you.”

Beforehand, Gibbs and Fornell had decided the hard and fast method would work best with the Agent. “Cut the pleasantries, Agent McGee. You’ve been found out.”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, sir.”

Fornell dumbed his voice down. “You haven’t been sanding with the grain, have you, Timothy?”

“Excuse me?” Tim’s eyes went wide, looking unsure about what Agent Fornell was talking about.

“The question is whether you’ve been spying or assisting.”

“Erm, Boss?”

Gibbs rolled his eyes. “McGee. What Agent Fornell is saying is that they’ve discovered your observations on Ziver, including the way you are using it to write your next novel. What he wants to know is whether you’re in cahoots with her, anyone else or just watching from a distance?”

Tim’s heart seemed as though it was in his throat, and without thinking, blurted, “No no, she doesn’t know anything.”

“Are you working under orders?”Gibbs inched closer to McGee.

“Whose orders?”

Timothy McGee never could stand up to a confident man of authority.

Fornell smiled, the guy was too easy. He vocally jumped on him. “So you’re admitting to using agency resources to spy on a colleague, and subsequently using that information for personal gain?”

“Y..ye..yes no, no. Definitely not sir.”

“Okay, who authorized the spyware then?”

“Well..”

“No one authorized it did they former Agent McGee.” The choice of words from Fornell scared Tim. “Are you spying on anyone else? Miss David is obviously your current Target. Who else are you spying on - DiNozzo, Gibbs, Director Vance?”

McGee closed his eyes flummoxed by the demanding questions and presence of two of the alphabets toughest men. “No no, they’re clean….”

“So you have spied on them.” Gibbs interjected.

At the same time Fornell said, “You found Vance to be clean? I find that hard to believe. You don’t get to his level without a few skeletons.” Fornell looked at Gibbs, and they both laughed.

Once McGee had started he didn’t stop. “No Tony and Gibbs. Couldn’t find anything. Didn’t get to the Director.”

“Then you must be slipping. Everyone has something to hide, or they’re better at hiding it.” Fornell observed.

“No, you don’t get it. I wanted to know everything about them for their characters. I wouldn’t keep it in a black book or anything. Some of this stuff you can’t make up.”

Fornell retrieved his cuffs from his back pocket. McGee looked to Gibbs in panic. “B..Boss he can’t.”

“Yes, he can McGee.” Gibbs banged his hand on the bench. “You’ve been spying on your co-workers without permission and using that information. That’s invasion of privacy. You knew that Ziver was spying on US soil and decided to put it into a book rather than report her. That’s essentially aiding and abetting McGee. I’m sure I could make treason stick with a bunch of other stuff, too.” Gibbs pushed off the bench. “Get him out of my sight, Tobias.”

“Glady Jethro.” Fornell moved to cuff McGee, “Timothy McGee, you have the right to remain silent…”

Before Tobias could say anymore, Tim pleaded, “Please, no. Agent Fornell. Boss. I’ll do anything.”

Gibbs and Fornell looked at each other, “He is small fry, Gibbs.”

“It’s your call Tobias. I don’t wanna see him again.”

Fornell removed the cuffs from McGee, “Looks like you’re on loan to the FBI for a while McGee. We’ll see if we can negotiate a Get Out Of Jail Free card. Or Something. If you’re really lucky, it might include an ankle strap.”

As Tobias disappeared with McGee, Gibbs was relieved. Tim had been dealt with; he was sure Fornell would come up with something that would make it look like McGee was under orders. That way he could use all the information he’d gathered on Ziva. And Tim was out of the frame as far as Tony’s assassination investigation was concerned. Gibbs was also glad that, someone who would sit by and allow crimes against his country, for the sake of a story, was off his team.

Gibbs sat on his bench, sipping bourbon, piecing the jigsaw together. Now that Fornell had all he needed to take care of Ziva, he could take a backseat with that investigation and concentrate more on Tony. He wanted to know who was targeting Tony, and wanted rid of the threat to his boy. If the case wasn’t solved soon, he ran the risk of Tony completely going to ground, or dying before he got the chance to say a few things he needed Tony to hear. He had some atonement to deliver and some truths to admit to.

As much as he wanted to help his 2IC solve the crime, he wanted to know who had Tony’s six. It was obviously someone he was close to. Then the proverbial light went on in his head. He checked the level of his drink and believed he wasn’t over the limit. Then, he ran upstairs and grabbed his keys. It was time for a little stakeout.

Within twenty-four hours, Gibbs had his answer, and he was fuming.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony turns up at Gibbs's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story so far  
> You all know by now that Tony is on someone’s hit list and that Tony has a team helping. Tim and Ziva were up to no good, but after Gibbs and Fornell cornered Tim, the man caved in and is now helping the FBI with their investigation. Ziva is still working, unaware that eyes are upon her.  
> Ducky, Jimmy have been recruited to keep their ears open, plant trackers and assess Abby. And Ducky has discovered that her head is definitely not in a good place.  
> Vance does not know that Gibbs is helping Fornell or that Gibbs has been in contact with Tony.  
> Gibbs has reviewed the information Tony gave him and is not a happy man. However, he became even grumpier when he discovered who is helping Tony, and he wants answers. 
> 
> Disclaimer - I own nothing NCIS except this storyline. As I beta my own work, all mistakes are mine.

**Chapter Seven**

Another twenty-four hours later, and Tony made his way into Gibbs’s basement.

“So, you found me, Boss,” he said as he watched Gibbs sand his boat.

“Nope, I just found a way to find ya.” Despite fuming, Gibbs knew he had to play it calm if he wanted to get answers out of Tony, and for him to listen in return.

“So, you decided to leave a note under the door, of a place you knew I wouldn’t be, in the hope that, that person knew where I was and had the means to get it to me.”

“Somethin’ like that.”

“So, what did you want me for, Gibbs?”

Gibbs smiled. By calling him, Gibbs, he knew Tony was on the defensive. “Fornell has McGee and is using his intel to build a case against Ziver.”

“Yeah, I already know that. Is that it? Cos I gotta say, there's other places I could be. It’s a risk coming here. If someone’s after me, knowing what a Doberman you can be, they could be keeping an eye on you too.” Tony turned tail and started back up the stairs.

The thought that he’d put Tony at risk made Gibbs grind his teeth, “Which door, dya use?”

“Back. I took precautions.”

_Good boy_ is what Gibbs thought, but it wasn’t what came out of his mouth, “Like, Trent Kort, precautions.” That comment made Tony halt his ascent and make his way back down the stairs.

“Why do you say that?” he asked cautiously. There was only one way Gibbs could have found Trent. Tony wasn’t surprised that Gibbs had found his link to Brad, but Trent – he had to play carefully.

“Saw him at Brads. Made the connection.”

“Huh. They won’t be happy at that.”

Gibbs stopped his sanding and edged closer to Tony. “What’s his connection to you Tony?”

“Who’s, Brad or Trent. Cos I already thought you knew that Brad’s my doctor.”

Tony was playing games and Gibbs knew damned well the man knew who he was talking about. All the same his irritation began to show. “You can trust the CIA to have your back but not me?”

“You think I’m working with the CIA, Gibbs. Wash your mouth out with soap. You should know I wouldn't go them. Although, they’re a safer bet than NCIS, at the moment.”

That tidbit was like poking a sleeping bear. If Tony wasn’t working with Kort in an official capacity, it meant he was with him due to a deeper friendship. And considering Tony was a sexual being, Gibbs took a leap.

Gibbs took a step closer to Tony, “Are you sleeping with Trent Kort?” The lump in his throat at the thought of them together made getting the words out difficult.

“Define sleeping, Boss. Do you mean in the same house or something more intimate?”

Gibbs lost his patience. “Answer the damned question DiNozzo! Have you slept with Trent Kort?”

Are sleeping and have slept, were two different things. He stood tall and fixed his eyes on Gibbs. “Have - Yes! Are – No!”

Both voices were raised in the stand-off.

“Why?” Gibb threw the block and sand paper to the floor, and it skid under the boat.

One step closer and the men were well into each other’s personal space.

“Cos he was there for me when you weren’t,” Tony yelled back.

Gibbs slammed Tony into the wall, “Well I’m here now.”Gibbs pinned his arms either side of Tony’s head blocking all escape. The electricity between them positively crackled. Blue eyes met green, one daring the other to make the final move.

“Yes, you are,” Tony whispered. He grabbed Gibbs head and demandingly brought their lips together.

With Tony’s fingers splayed on either side of his head, Gibbs put his arms around Tony’s waist and back, and yanked the man to him. Eyes closed; noses pressed against the other’s face. They were barely able to breathe. They took what was needed and long overdue. All the pent up aggression, passion and need came to the fore. As soon as one took a breath, the other latched onto another piece of flesh. Tony had taken a leap of faith and Gibbs wasn’t about to deny him. There was nothing soft and sweet about their kissing. It was demanding and brutal.

Gibbs leaned further onto Tony and grunted.

Tony could feel the pressure on his ribs, and though technically healed, they were sore from his fall earlier in the week. But, he didn’t want to break the kiss and the sheer heaven he was in. Instead, he shifted to the side, and the pressure eased. The gap allowed Gibbs to slip his hand between them and cup his manhood – Tony stilled. Gibbs forced his lips away from Tony’s skin. There was something he needed to know, but he wasn’t sure how he’d handle the answer. “Has he penetrated you?”

Tony let his head fall back against the wall. Gibbs was holding his balls. The hold on him was emphasized by an extra squeeze. “No. We were only ever in a three, and he always did Brad.” Tony didn’t think it would be wise to mention that he’d done Trent a couple of times. Anyhow, a specific question demanded a specific answer. He was sure there was part of a rule in there somewhere, but he’d be damned if he could remember.

“Good,” He didn’t expect Tony to be an ass virgin, but there were some people, like Trent, who he’d find it hard to be a follow up to – emotionally not physically. And Gibbs was a possessive bastard. “From now on, these are mine,” Gibbs squeezed Tony’s balls again making him wince. “You are mine and no one else’s. Got it.”

“Got it, Boss.” Tony knew they still had to talk, but damn…

“Call me Jethro.”

“Yes, Jethro.”

The murmur of his name from Tony’s lips invited another round of carnal lust.

Tony removed one of his hands from Gibbs’s head and rubbed it over the man’s ass. Many a time had he wanted to see how strong that ass was. He wasn’t a bubble butt, but damn the man was firm. Gibbs clenched and thrust into Tony, who groaned from the pleasure.

Gibbs buried his head in Tony’s neck and circled his hips against him, proving how aroused, how hard, he was. He wanted to move somewhere softer, but he didn’t want to break contact. He didn’t want to break the spell between them.

Tony swiftly about turned them, and Gibbs was pinned to the wall. The men actively looked for friction against the other while alternating between sucking face and neck.

Gibbs swapped them back and deftly undid the button on Tony’s jeans. He slid his hand inside and took hold of Tony’s hard cock. It was long thick and like velvet in his fingers. Pre-cum was coating his palm. Tony groaned in appreciation and thrust long and slow, savoring each stroke.

“Jethro, don’t stop.” Tony panted, “Whatever you do, don’t stop.”

Within a few more thrusts, Tony yelled out, his cock pulsed. Gibbs looked down to see white ribbons hit his polo shirt and coat his hand. The beautiful sight tipped Gibbs over the edge too, who leaned into Tony as he came in his own pants.

When the waves of orgasm, came to a stop, Gibbs slowly wiped his hand on his top and rested his hand on the other side of Tony’s chest, barring his escape.

Tony was having trouble keeping his place on the wall. His could feel his thighs quivering and his knees begging to buckle. The intensity of their all too quick tryst was something that infected Tony to the core. To steady himself, Tony moved a hand to rest on Gibbs’s shoulder.

Gibbs drew Tony towards him. “We still need to talk. But, I hope you know my intentions are honorable.”

“After that, Jethro. I’m not going anywhere till I have an explanation.”

“Coffee?”

“Definitely. I’m going to need to be awake for this. How many hours you got?”

“As many as necessary.” Gibbs leaned over and placed another, more tender kiss on Tony’s lips.  He looked down, “Think we need to clean up first.”

“Good idea.” Tony tucked himself in and zipped up. “So does this mean the functional mute is finally gonna break the silence?”

“Maybe.”

Tony sent a quick text – IN NIRVANA - I’LL FIND YOU.

..oOo..

Three hours later, more talk than Gibbs had used in a lifetime and a lot of lip service; the men had an understanding of the past and a promise for the future. What they had to work on was a transitional present – both personally and investigational.

One thing was for sure; they had to separate themselves from the names in the frame and look at the evidence with as much detachment as possible.

Tony turned to Gibbs; he was dreading this moment. “Are you going to be able to do that with Abby?”

“I didn’t know she was a suspect?” the surprise in his voice, evident

“I had to put you in the frame, so why not her. You’ve always said, never assume. Everyone had to be on the list to begin with.”

“Okay then, let's start again. Now that I’m on board, let’s put everyone back on the list and we can work through them.”

Tony didn’t want to start again, but, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, “If that’s how you wanna play it.”

“Good, then if we’re gonna do a proper job of it that means Ducky, Palmer and Vance get put in too. We start from scratch. What about Trent and Brad?”

“I’ll concede on the Ducky and Palmer front,” after all they were essentially members of the MCRT, but mainly because he knew they’d soon be discounted. Vance was an odds outsider, but couldn’t be struck off purely because he was the boss of the boss, had his fingers in a number of pies and was primarily an honorary member of the MCRT. In fact, if the man wanted to – he could be a member of any team at NCIS. “They’re all part of the MCRT. But, Brad and Trent. Now you’re being bitchy, Jethro.”

“I see it as being thorough.”

“No, you’re letting your ego influence your thoughts.”

“And sleeping with someone doesn’t discount them either. If anything it gives a motive.”

After everything they’d talked about earlier, and the promises they’d made, Tony was annoyed that Jethro was taking this route. “Jethro! Stop. I get you don’t like my past Brad and Trent – well, you plain don’t like Trent. And jealousy can be sweet, occasionally. But this isn’t the time to show it. If you can’t handle me trusting them with not only my life, but all my secrets to date, then as much as I want us to be an us – you’re heading for a deal breaker and I’ll walk - now.”

Tony sat with his heart in his mouth. He really didn’t want to walk, but for the people who’d been there through thick and thin for him – he would.

Gibbs slid his hand behind Tony’s neck and drew him in for a kiss. “I’m sorry Tony. Brad, I can stomach, but Kort is going to take some getting used to.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “You speak as though we’ll be living in each other’s pockets. Believe me, Jethro, they’ll be avoiding you as much as you’ll be avoiding them. I may be a common link, but I don’t think we’ll be double dating anytime soon.” Tony looked into Gibbs’ eyes with his most serious expression. “If you don’t trust anything I’ve said about the others, please, trust me when it comes to them.”

“Okay.” Gibbs leaned in and captured Tony’s lips. Only this time he didn’t let go. Gently, he raised his leg on the couch, then eased Tony into a lying down position before he rested on top of him. In a display much gentler than some of their previous connections, they enjoyed the sensual feeling of feather light kisses, breath upon skin and a probing tongue. The original dilemma concerning Abby - forgotten.

Eventually, they shifted to lay side on, facing each other, and they fell asleep.

Come morning neither man wanted to move, even though space was at a premium. Both had had a taste of the future and wanted to hold on to it. During the night, Tony had shifted, and he was laying with his back to Gibbs, with the man’s arm around his waist and the comforter from the headrest over them.

Gibbs kissed behind Tony’s ear, “I don’t wanna go in.”

Tony snuggled in, “One more minute. Then you have to.”

“Why?” Gibbs grumbled as he nestled even closer to Tony.

It wasn’t normally Tony who was the practical one, and that sent a warm feeling through him. Jethro had his vices, and he’d just become one of them. “Because if you don’t go in, they will come here and discover that we’ve made up. I don’t think that’s something anyone at the yard should know quite yet.”

Jethro grumbled and moved to get up. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to go back to my hideout and reconstruct my timeline. Add in a few facts and figures and see what stirs my gut.”

Gibbs didn’t dare ask if Kort was anywhere near said hideout. “How are you gonna get the information to me?”

“Not sure yet. Expect a call from an unexpected number sometime.”

“Okay. Are you coming back to work soon?”

“Probably. I may take a few extra days. It depends on how long it takes to put this together.

Tony and Gibbs made themselves presentable. With a parting kiss that made both breathless, Gibbs screeched off his drive towards the Navy Yard. Tony waited a little while in hiding to see if anyone would dare to enter Gibbs house while the man was away.

They didn’t.

When Tony believed the coast was clear, he dressed to make himself invisible again and left via the back door.

..oOo..

Back at the den Tony was busy working away when Trent strolled in. “I take it from the smile on your face and the sickening glow, that you cemented your relationship with the almighty Gibbs.”

“I have, and I have you to thank for it.”

Trent’s face creased like he’d tasted something bad. “Why on earth would you accuse me of that?”

“In a nutshell. Gibbs saw you at Brads. Made a leap of epic proportions. I’m talking a leap of faith from the lions head epic. Only, instead of finding the cup of Christ, he became a jealous bastard, pinned me to the wall and declared his intentions.”

“Bollocks,” was Trent's initial reaction.

“Yeah, thought you might say that. Didn’t think you’d be happy with you and Brad being found out. At least you know Gibbs can keep secrets.”

Trent paced the small room they were in. “True, but I don’t like the man having anything on me that he could use.”

Tony grabbed Trent by the shoulders and turned him to look him square in the face. “If he ever does, you tell me, and I’ll shave his ass, and make him wear a vibrator for a week – in the office and out, with me on the controls.”

Trent laughed out loud at that. “I believe you my friend. Thank you. I am happy for you, Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo.”

Tony nodded in acceptance at the statement, and the men gave each other a hug. The hug was more than a quick embrace. They took their time as it signified the real end of something they’d once had and, if all went as Tony dreamed, there would be no going back. It wasn’t, however, the end of their friendship. That prospect allowed them to part with a brief kiss.

Trent took an unusually emotional deep breath, “Will you be alright for a few days. There’s something I have to sort out?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Anything bad? You need help?”

“No, nothing bad. I have a lead, and I need to follow it up.”

“Okay, say safe.”

“Most definitely.”

..oOo..


	8. Chapter eight.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discoveries are made and there's a temporary fix for Abby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story so far  
> Yep, Tony is on someone’s hit list and he has his band of helpers. Tim and Ziva were up to no good, but after Gibbs and Fornell had cornered Tim, the man caved in and is now helping the FBI with their investigation. Tim has an extremely uncertain future.  
> Ducky has discovered that Abby is definitely not in a healthy place and is contemplating the best course of action.  
> Vance has given permission for the FBI to access NCIS systems and is aware of the case involving McGee and Ziva. He does not know that Gibbs is helping Fornell, or that Gibbs has been in contact with Tony. As far as Vance is aware, Gibbs is still being snotty with Tony and believes his lead agent has no knowledge of Tim or Ziva’s cock-ups.  
> Gibbs has the answers he needed out of Tony, and their relationship is mainly repaired, and it has definitely moved onto a more romantic level.

**Chapter Eight**

In the office, Vance received Tony’s extended vacation application via an internet café in a somewhat unsavory part of the city. It was easy for him to trace the location, especially for a man whose computer skills rivaled Abby’s. When he delivered the news to Gibbs, all the man did was growl and deposit the official piece of paper into the universal filing cabinet.

The reaction hadn’t surprised Vance in the least. With two men down, he wasn’t sure what Gibbs would do next. The man was at the other end of happy when DiNozzo initially took leave, and his reaction suggested, he liked it even less when Vance gave Fornell permission to use McGee in an FBI investigation. Of course, despite not speaking to the probie, he knew why McGee was doing his part and was already looking for a replacement. He was sure that when Gibbs found out, the man wouldn’t want the Elf Lord back on his team. Vance didn’t want McGee back either.

Vance paused, though. Something was in the air that he couldn’t put his finger on. He was nervous. Maybe it was the prospect of dealing with Eli David as and when the shit hit the fan.

It was going to be another week before DiNozzo was due to return to work. As well as Gibbs’s growls, Ziva was huffing. With Agent McGee out of bounds, Vance had no choice other than to put the team on cold cases. 

It was originally planned that Fornell was to work with DiNozzo. But, since the man had gone AMA, the only contact Vance knew Tony had with the FBI veteran, was texts via burn phone and the odd fleeting meet.  After that, DiNozzo had vanished into thin air again. From the email, Vance guessed DiNozzo was hiding alongside the less fortunate, faceless, people of the city. Whatever was happening between Fornell and DiNozzo, it was clear from Gibbs’s reaction that they hadn’t told him. Vance wondered if another application for leave would come through in a week. Vance himself was getting antsy at the SFA’s absence and lack of co-operation with Fornell.

That being said, Vance didn’t mind the MCRT being in the office, as it kept Ziva in one place and allowed the FBI to do their job. Fornell had informed Vance that it was his investigations on behalf of Tony that brought to light McGee’s story and subsequent revelations regarding Ziva. He put his hands up and admitted to some hacking, which gave him even more damning information.

 To make the evidence was admissible; Vance granted the FBI access to the NCIS systems to rid him of Eli David’s daughter. He backdated the paperwork and covered the tracks. He’d never been keen on Ziva’s presence in the MCRT. He felt as though he was being watched, and that didn’t sit well with him. Anyhow, if what he’d heard from Fornell was right, Ziva was being loyal to Mossad, but it was possible she was running a side operation. It was feasible the agenda was Mossad related. Equally, it had the potential to be personal. Only time would tell. Vance knew Eli well enough to know the man liked complete control over his officers. But most father’s weak link was his daughter. When it came to the wire, they needed airtight evidence to present. If played right they could make Mossad owe them.

Just as he walked away, Gibbs received a text, “Going to see Ducky,” he announced and fled the room.

..oOo..

Down in autopsy, Gibbs was greeted with an, “Ahh, Jethro. Fleet-of-foot as always.”

“What can I do for ya Duck?”

Ducky looked to Jimmy, “Mr. Palmer, would you mind checking on supplies in the van, please. I’ll be along when I’m done here.” The autopsy men had already discussed Abby at length and come to a conclusion. They’d decided that Jimmy would deliver the information to Anthony and Ducky would tackle Jethro. Jimmy didn’t want to be around when Ducky spoke to the SA.

Once Jimmy had left, Ducky returned his attention to the lead agent, “I’m afraid I need a quiet word with you about our Miss. Schuito. And please do not interrupt until I’m finished.”

Ducky then proceeded to go into detail about his analysis of Abby’s mental state and the influence of others.

Many a time Gibbs started to interrupt the good ME, but knowing how blind Gibbs could be towards the forensic scientist, he insisted Gibbs sit quiet and used his brain like a parachute – best kept open.

..oOo..

In the den, Tony had scrapped much of the timeline he’d completed at the start of the investigation and produced a new one. He’d also gone through all the information and added it. He was busy looking at the files and emails of all those on the renewed suspect list. 

He had to prove that he was fair to all parties, so he did his searches on Jimmy and Ducky first. With his new access and heightened familiarity with the NCIS systems and others, he looked through everything phone records, personnel files, bank accounts, reports, the lot. While he was there, the investigator in him contemplated looking into more than the records of the MCRT. Tony knew he should stay focused, but the opportunity to do what he did best was of the utmost tempting.

Anyhow, Jimmy’s finances were of no surprise. Tony helped the guy with his tax returns. Ducky was quite a shrewd investor, and of course everything checked out. Further research on Ducky made Tony smile. It was Ducky’s contacts. If Tony was jostled about keeping in touch with his frat brothers, then Ducky could easily be accused of the same thing. His early life acquaintances made quite the people in power reading – at least they did in their later lives. They were all from ‘Good Stock’ as Ducky would call it. A couple of the ‘pillars of society’ were involved in shady dealings, and some had careers in the secret service, but there was nothing that could implicate them in anything associated with Tony.

As for Abby, on paper, her reports, contacts and anything else he found, was as assorted as her taste in men. Everything came from all walks of life. He wouldn’t have been surprised to find _ET_ or the _Witches of Eastwick_ on her list of known associates. Tony loved Abby for her diversity, but even he raised an eyebrow or two. He smiled at his memories of the Abby he knew of old, rather than the more recent version. The old Abby was happy, brilliant, huggy, open minded and one hell of a lady. She was like a sister to him. More recently, she’d been angry at him, secretive, and scathing, just to mention three from a longer list.

The temptation was too great for him not to read Gibbs’ staff reports, which contained phrases such as:-

_Respects the chain of command when it suits him._

_Can be a wild cannon._

_You don’t want him as your enemy._

_Always gets the job done._

_Always has your six._

_If you want the best, ask for Gibbs._

_Yes, the second B does stand for Bastard with a capital B._

The current years staff reports hadn’t been completed. Tony wondered how much difference there would be in the ones Vance filed. There was no way that he’d look at Gibbs’s files and miss out his own. He had to keep in mind that the write-up was pre-Mexico.

It contained phrases that were both expected and unexpected. Some were from Gibbs, others from Jenny:-

_Can yaba too much._

_Needs strict guidance._

_Under the frat boy/clown, persona, is an extremely competent agent._

_Excellent undercover skills._

_Loyal to his country and NCIS._

_He is like Gibbs but with the diplomacy gene._

_Has the right background and potential to raise to director and beyond._

_Never underestimate him._

Some of those comments truly surprised Tony. He never in a million years saw himself rising through the ranks to director or beyond. _What was it management saw in him? Was it possible, that’s what he was on a hit list for? Erase a person seen as a future leader? A future threat to the espionage business? Surely not._ Tony expected Gibbs to the at the top of _that_ list. Also, Tony had seen enough politics in his lifetime only to deal with it when it was essential. All he wanted to be was a good investigator.

Tony’s gut lurched. The bloodhound in him took over, and he launched a new search. He wanted to know everything that had been said about him and to who. Then he would look into the staff reports of others.

..oOo..

In Abby’s lab, a visitor arrived. “What the hell’s that music. It’s got no beat and you sure as hell can’t dance to it,” the old timer gruffed.

“Jackson.” Abby squealed. She turned off her music, threw out her arms and clomped over to him before engulfing the man in a bear hug.

After a while, Jackson Gibbs sat on Abby’s futon and listened to her without interruption. All the time that she talked, she ran her tests, pulled up results on the computer, and inserted new test tubes into her babies. He was dizzy at the way she neither stopped moving or talking for an absolute age.

Eventually, Jethro walked in with a caf-pow and Abby stopped in her tracks. Jackson took the opportunity, “Abby, do you ever take a break?”

“Wh…What?” Abby’s eye contact with Jethro was broken when she looked over to Jackson.

The older Gibbs creaked to his feet with the aid of his cane, “I said, young lady, do you ever take a break? I’ve been trying to get Leroy here to join me in Stillwater, but he’s never got time. The way I figure it – if you spend a little time with me, he’ll have to join me for a few days to bring you back home. We can have a family picnic before you return.” He hobbled over and took Abby’s hand, “Would you mind if this old-timer kidnaped a beautiful young lady for a week or two?”

A smile slowly crept across Abby’s face until it reached her ears. “Kidnap away. I’d be delighted.”

Jackson held out his elbow, and Abby hooked her arm in it, “Let’s go get you some well-deserved vacation.”

The two disappeared from the lab with a wave.

Gibbs dialed and put the cell to his ear, “Ducky, it’s done.”

A few days earlier Ducky had informed Gibbs that, due in part to the influence of others, but not solely, Abby was losing her objectivity; more recently exacerbated by the lack of contact with her father figure, Jethro. Unfortunately, Ducky believed that if Jethro himself intervened, it would only be a short-term fix, nothing would be accomplished long-term. Not only that but with everything happening at the office, Ducky suggested that Gibbs the younger couldn’t take the recommended time away.

Gibbs didn’t like what had been said to him, but considering how far off his gut had been of late, he listened and followed Ducky’s advice.

Gibbs called his father and fully appraised him of the situation. Jackson drove to Washington and met with Ducky. The rest was history. Before long, Jackson was on his way back to Stillwater, willing and armed to unravel Abby’s muddled thoughts and get her back on the straight and narrow. At the same time, he’d give her the sense of Gibbs family that she seemed to crave. A couple of weeks wouldn’t completely do the trick, but it would be a good start.

Ducky sent a message to Anthony with Jimmy. While Abby was confused and had the knowledge to commit murder, he concluded that she would probably talk the senate to death before actually doing it - probably. It was a prognosis that he thought Tony would no doubt be relieved at. Of course, nothing could be guaranteed with a person of questionable mental state.

..oOo..

At the Den, Tony was deep into reading when a large envelope was slapped in front of him. “There're a few things in there you need to read.”

“Well, hello to you Trent.”

“Hello, DiNozzo and you’d better get reading.” Trent was all business, “I’ll check where your trackers have been going.”

Tony pointed to another computer, “They’re on that one.”

Within a few moments, there were murmurs of approval from Trent, “Your posse have planted quite a few. I’m impressed. How did you figure, who was who?”

Each tracker on screen was named. While Tony released the contents from their brown covers, he said, “Easy. Look in the history. Abby’s movements include churches and an eclectic selection of night clubs. McGee’s will be mostly in the Hoover Building. Ziva, coffee shops. Gibbs, lumber yards and his basement. Vance is, office, school. Either way they’ve all gone home at some time, too. I was surprised at how many times McGee and Ziva have been to Abby’s.”

Trent raised an eyebrow, “They put a tracker on Gibbs?”

“Yeah, told Ducky and Jimmy, everyone. Besides, it’s useful to know where he is at any given time.”

Tony dug his nose into the file. It was full of stories of ambition, missions and working through the ranks. It tied in with what he’d earlier discovered. “We need to get this to Gibbs and Fornell.” Tony then handed Trent the file containing the printouts he’d taken from NCIS systems. “I think we’ve found our motive.”

 “And significantly narrowed our suspect pool,” Trent added.

“We need to find the accomplice, though.”

“I’ll get this to Gibbs, now. If he wants, he can then pass it onto Fornell.” Tony moved to object, but he was cut off by Trent, “ I’m not happy with you and Gibbs being seen together in the open until we have a plan.” Tony had little choice but to agree.

Copies were made and just before Trent headed out; Tony gave his friend a warning, “I know it’s probably too much of an ask that you don’t bait Gibbs, but try to show some restraint.”

Trent smirked at Tony and left. Tony cursed and returned to his snooping – sorry information gathering.

..oOo..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates may be a little slow for a week or two as I have a book release coming up and I have to write some articles. Have no fear though, the story will be updated, and finished.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gibbs meets Trent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies - but this is the only chapter I'll be posting this week. All my backup chapters have now been posted, so it will probably be one chapter per week now. But, rest assured this story will be completed and soon. I'm too close to the end to let it slide now and my conscience won't let me not finish.  
> Also, I recently upgraded to windows 10 and it has decided to add a Host App that isn't compatible with some of my background tasks. It's a bugger and I'm sorting a fix. But access to my laptop is now sporadic. I may uninstall and go back to win7. Grrr.

**Chapter Nine**

Upon receiving a text from an unknown number saying GO FOR A WALK, Gibbs immediately knew who it was from. He wanted to run from the office, but that would have invited suspicion. Instead, he pondered some things for a while then announced he was going to the park to clear his head and get some coffee.

Ziva demanded, “How long will you be, Gibbs?”

“As long as it takes to think and down several coffees.” Gibbs thought he’d already told her that.

He sat on a bench waiting. He checked out the profile of every male jogger that went past hoping one would be Tony. Now that he’d accepted his feelings for the man and knew they were reciprocated, Gibbs not only felt a huge weight was off his shoulders, but he felt more alive than he had in years. Along with that though, was also the fear that he could lose Tony before they’d truly gotten started.

The hairs on the back of Gibbs’s neck prickled when a different form sat next to him. The unshaven man handed him a manila envelope.

“You,” Gibbs hissed.

Trent took a deep breath, “Yes.”

“Why?”

“Why not? It’s not like you don’t know my involvement.”

 Gibbs ground his teeth and tucked the envelope inside his coat. “Why isn’t Tony delivering this to me?”

Trent straightened his coat. “He is in a roundabout way. Much of that research is his.”

“Stop deflecting.”

“Just trying to give you a sense of Tony.”

After Gibbs growled, Trent conceded. “Okay Gibbs. My reasons are threefold. One, the information in that envelope, you need to read carefully. I didn’t want you distracted by Tony’s blinding smile and pretty body. Secondly, because of what’s in those files, I don’t think it will be wise for you two to be seen together and friendly. At least not yet. Tony and I have some more talking to do. Thirdly, I wanted to deliver my own messages to you.”

Gibbs noticed the way he’d been left out of what appeared to be some planning. He’d address that another time. He didn’t want to get into anything with Trent, and so thought it best for the man to say what he had to. “And they are?”

“You use Brad to get to me, for good or bad, and I will kill you.”

“And.”

“You hurt Tony, and I’ll kill you.”

“You care for him.” That much was obvious to Gibbs, and, despite Tony’s warning, the notion still surprised him.

“Yes I do. I don’t have many friends in this business. But, Tony is one of the few and I will protect him – even from you if necessary.”

As much as Gibbs hated Trent Kort, and his admission grated on him, he had to admit that he couldn’t fault Kort’s determination to protect Tony. And for that he was grateful. “Understood.”  A few minutes passed. Gibbs tapped his breast pocket, “You giving this to Fornell, too?”

“No, just you. Fornell isn’t aware of my involvement and I’d like to keep it that way. Besdies, he has enough on his plate securing a case that won’t cause an international incident. What’s in there will require more delicate… no that’s the wrong word… you don’t do delicate. It will require different handling. You being on board is important to Tony and despite your arrogance, your being in the know may prove useful.”

“What’s in here then?”

“Motive for murder.”

Silence reigned for a short while. With the serious stuff out of the way, Trent just couldn’t resist. “I have to thank you, Gibbs. If you hadn’t displayed your bastard ways, Tony and I wouldn’t be as close as we are. Oh, and that mouth of his should be insured for more than you’re worth. You mess up - I’ll gladly bring him back to Brad and me. You don’t deserve him.”

Before Gibbs could turn and give the man a retort he wouldn’t forget, Trent Kort was several yards away and anything Gibbs could shout would have seemed childish.

Several coffee’s later, Gibbs returned to the office.

That night he read through every word he’d been given. He couldn’t believe that no-one had seen the pattern.

..oOo..

A few days later Gibbs’s heart leapt at the sound of familiar footsteps desceding his basement stairs. After what Kort had said about not being seen together, Gibbs had kept his stakeout tendencies away from Tony and focused elsewhere. Nevertheless, he’d still hoped Tony would somehow find his way to him. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

Gibbs stopped what he was doing and watched Tony for a few seconds.  Their last encounter was _much_ closer, and yet Tony seemed nervous. It was sweet, like teenagers experiencing something new, instead of two men who had known each other for years and had shown each other with touch and tongue how they felt. “Come here.” Gibbs whispered.

The moment Tony was within reach, Gibbs circled his arms around his waist and pulled him in. “Hello.” He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Tony’s lips. Tony returned the kiss with equal tenderness. Briefly, they parted, but soon found each other’s mouths again, and again, until breathless.

Tony, rested his forehead against Jethro’s, “This seems unreal. I’ve wanted you for so long, and now that I have you – I can hardly believe it.”

“Believe it, Tony. I’m not letting you go.”

“Good. And once we’ve nailed the bastard whose trying to kill me. I’m not going to let you.”

Gibbs felt the change in Tony’s body, “I take it you’re here for more than wanting to see me?”

“Yeah.”

“Cowboy steaks?”

“Perfect.”

Tony and Jethro made their way upstairs, and Tony got the fire going while Jethro retrieved the steaks.

A while later, bellies full, the men relaxed with a beer. Tony fingered the rim of the bottle, “The MCRT haven’t had many call-outs since I was blown up.”

“We’ve had a few. But Vance has kept us on cold cases.”

“Originally, with me out of the way, I wondered whether the person after me would come after you.” The tremor in Tony’s voice highlighted how real he thought that threat was.

“Always protecting my six. Even when I was being  a bastard.”

Tony didn’t answer, but the ‘always’ was conveyed through the squeeze Tony gave of Jethro’s knee. “Trent,”Tony started, but momentarily hesitated when Jethro stiffened. “Trent kept an eye on you while I couldn’t. He tried to see if there was someone watching.”

“Great, another thing I owe him for.”

“Jethro.” Tony admonished.

Gibbs sighed, “I know. I know. I’ll get there. I’m grateful. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“Keep working on it.” Tony advised. “Anyhow, looks like this thing won’t move on until I return to work. At least everything ties in to this being DiNozzo specific. So, if it’s DiNozzo in public that’s needed, that’s gonna have to happen.”

“What?” Jethro knew what Tony was thinking. “You’re gonna put yourself up as bait. Jesus Tony.”

“Got no choice. The bastard won’t be drawn out until the help’is eliminated. You read the file. Do you agree with the conclusions or did you see something different?”

“That’s not the point, Tony.”

“It’s exactly the point, Jethro. This can’t go on. I’m done with hiding. Done with not sticking up for myself – privately and publicly. I went to ground to give me time. I’ve had that time. Now it’s time for action. Time to play the game.”

Gibbs scanned his eyes over the room, and eventually settled them on Tony. “I’m feeling useless here Tony. You seem to have everything planned out and I haven’t contributed a damned thing.”

“Sorry Jethro. But, this isn’t one of those times where you can bark your orders and have everyone jump to their tasks. You’ll have your part to play. In the office, feel free to power down your bastard ways, but play up the functional mute, rather than the white knight. Dial up your gut settings and have your radar functioning.”

“What about your trackers. Have they yielded anything?”

“Nothing that can help me. They’ve been more use to Fornell. What with Abby doing a Dorothy and spending time with Jackson of Oz, and Tim McAnklestrap at the mercy of Tobias, all concentration has been on Ziva. Her movements have shown that she’s met up with a Kidon operative. I’ve passed on any communications with Hadar. Fornell’s still gathering evidence, but the hub of her dealings center around arms in Europe. Maybe Mossad want control of it… who the hell knows. Wouldn’t be surprised if Interpol don’t get involved soon. The head of the British branch used to be an FBI operative who Tobias knows well. If he finds anything to help me, he’ll shout. Ziva’s not the one who ordered the hit, but it’s possible she’s helping, or could have nothing to do with it at all.”

“Jeez, Tony. This is a mess.”

“You’re telling me. If any of them had bothered to talk to me first instead of assuming, they’d know that I wasn’t interested in power. Sure I can be a pain in the ass but I never had visions of climbing the ranks. Too many think I’m the combination of your training and my fathers ambition. Sure, I’ve always been a nosy bastard, but that’s part and parcel of the job. What, these people don’t realize is that they just might have awoken something they’d have preferred to have lain dormant.”

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Yup. They have no idea how much of a pain I’m gonna be. 

“Now that we know what we know – how about talking to Ducky for some insight on how to get the people to show their hand.”

“Good idea. You wanna take care of that.”

“Sure. But before anything I wanna take care of you.”

..oOo..

 


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some Gibbs and Tony smoochin.  
> Warning - Chapter intimate and explicit.

**Chapter Ten**

Gibbs slid a hand behind Tony’s neck and eased him in for a kiss.

Tony was quick to respond.

He changed his position and scrunched his legs up so that he faced the back of the couch and leaned across Gibbs’s lap. Gibbs moved his arms to secure Tony’s body in place. Their kisses were neither gentle nor rough. Tony lingered, savored and moved his jaw. Between the rolling of their lips, Gibbs nipped and tasted.

Beneath him, Tony could feel Gibbs cock harden against his side. He moved his shoulder, and the ripple effect rubbed against Gibbs’s groin making the man take in a sharp breath. Tony hummed his approval and increased the assault on Gibbs’s mouth. He added more jaw, and when Gibbs mirrored his movement, Tony slid his tongue against its counterpart.

The action made Gibbs curl over Tony, capturing him between leg, arm, and body. Gibbs slid his hand over Tony’s chest down to his pants. There he massaged Tony’s straining manhood. Up and down, up and down, and a squeeze for good measure. Tony whimpered under the touch.

With a skilled hand, Gibbs undid Tony’s belt and slowly popped each button on his jeans. The erotic anticipation of what lay ahead made Tony breath harder and move his hips.

“Careful cowboy,” Gibbs whispered, “All in good time.”

“You’re killing me here.”

Gibbs, let out a deep throated chuckle before he took Tony’s lips again, silencing him.

Inch by inch, Gibbs torturously slid his hand beneath the material. He didn’t go straight for the goods. He tugged at Tony’s cropped black pubic hair before exploring the inside crease, where leg met pelvis.

Tony was positively squirming. He was so distracted by the action in his jeans that all he could do was pant into Gibbs’s mouth. Finally, oh finally, Gibbs rolled Tony’s balls in his hand and stroked his cock, expertly using a twisting action as he went.

“Please tell me that’s not all you’re gonna do.”

“How much farther do you want me to go, Tony.”

Tony gulped, “I want you inside me.”

Gibbs froze for a few seconds. He then nudged Tony to move. When Tony held onto Gibbs tighter, irrationally afraid it was too much too soon, Gibbs assured him, “For that, I need a bed. My knees won’t take the floor.”

“Oh,” was Tony’s stilted reply.

Gibbs led his man upstairs.

Tony sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Jethro between his legs, where he proceeded to untuck the man’s shirt. Gibbs obliged by ridding himself of the whole thing and throwing it somewhere in the room. Tony peppered Gibbs’s stomach with kisses while he undid the buttons on his man’s pants. With the open fly before him, Tony got even closer  and breathed in the unique scent of sawdust and musk. Tony nuzzled, leaving kisses in his wake while he snuck his hands into Jethro’s waistband and pushed down.

Part way he stopped to feel the smooth skin of Jethro’s butt and dragged his fingers over the crease of his man’s ass. Gibbs gasped and thrust forward, making Tony aware of the hard cock straining beneath his chin.

As he slid Jethro’s jeans south, Tony looked down and without hands licked the end of Jethro’s cock.

“Oh God,” Gibbs said to the heavens.

“He’s got his notebook out,” Tony cheekily murmured. Then, he secured the end of Gibbs cock between his lips and sucked him into his mouth in one go.

When Gibbs hit the back of Tony’s throat, he held onto Tony’s head to stop the movement. At that moment, if Tony did anything else, he’d have come. Gibbs got himself under control and let Tony move again. As Tony inched back, he continued to suck so hard he drew Jethro with him. Tony’s flat tongue on the underside of Gibbs’s shaft was almost the man’s undoing.

Tony continued to glide up and down Gibbs like he was his favorite lollipop. All the while his tongue flicked over the vein on the underside.

Jethro was speechless. All he was capable of doing was closing his eyes and rocking while he sank in and out of Tony’s mouth. But, despite his euphoria, he couldn’t let Tony finish him this way, which would happen quickly if the man continued his onslaught.

Gibbs tapped the back of Tony’s head, “You gonna come already, Jethro. And here was me thinking you had stamina.”

The taunting smile of Tony awakened the alpha male in Gibbs. He pushed Tony back onto the bed and almost launched himself on top of his lover. “Is that what you think?” Before Tony had chance to form an answer, Gibbs pinned Tony’s arms above his head, ground his pelvis into Tony’s and took his mouth like he was his last meal on earth.

Without connection being lost, clothing was removed. In the case of Tony’s shirt – forcefully. Tony whimpered when he heard the tear. Buttock by buttock, his pants were moved over his skin and allowed to drop wherever their feet pushed them. Soon, both men were totally naked and rutting against each other.

Tony rolled so that he was on top, but it didn’t last long. Gibbs immediately turned them back. He lifted himself off Tony’s body and pushed his lovers legs up with one instruction, “Hold.”

With is ass on full display, Tony briefly deliberated over the many things that could happen to a man in his particular position.

He didn’t have to wait long to discover his fate. He felt Gibbs’s hands caress his behind and then part his cheeks even further. Cold air ghosted over his hole to his balls and back. Then, oh mother of God, the tip of Jethro’s tongue touched his perineum. It was followed by the sharp edge of teeth while Gibbs’s nose nudged his balls.

The nip was followed by lips and another swirl of the tongue.

Gibbs moved lower.

All Tony could feel was the slick drip of saliva sliding south. Tony opened his eyes and craned his neck to see Jethro watching its decent. Tony closed his eyes again when Gibbs moved in closer. As he spittle pooled around Tony’s hole, he couldn’t help but flex his muscles hoping to draw it in.

Gibbs finished what Tony started. His wicked tongue circled Tony’s hole, again, again and again, then forced its way inside. It was only millimeters, but Tony felt as though it was much farther. The action was repeated another thrice before Gibbs licked his way, in one swoop, from Tony’s hole to his balls. The more Tony struggled to control his drooping legs, the more forcefully Gibbs held him open. And Tony had no problem with that. He was in another world.

There was the familiar click of a tube top and the pleasurable sensation of gel on his most sensitive area. Gibbs massaged it in well with fingers and knuckles, focusing on Tony’s chrysanthemum, which he was ecstatically happy to have opened by the man he’d loved for an age.

Oh, the satisfying stretch of preparation. Tony keened with pleasure. He loved fingers, except he wanted something he was sure would complete him.

Gibbs knew Tony was no ass virgin. It was further confirmed by how his lover, reacted to his fingers deep inside him. He was experienced, and that gave Gibbs a few options. “How do you want me, Tony. Inch by inch, or something else?”

“All in one Jethro. I wanna feel you for days.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Tony heard the rip of the condom and the squelch of more lube. With what he wanted, too little lubrication would be bad.

With Tony’s legs temporarily on the bed, Gibbs leaned over and kissed Tony, softly, sweetly and long. He then turned Tony over on all fours and lined up. With a hand on Tony’s back, Gibbs pushed his mushroomed head inside just far enough so that Tony’s ring of muscle held onto him. Then with one final, “You sure?” and a nod from Tony, he pushed all the way in one hard thrust.

“Yes!” cried Tony. “Oh God yes.”

After that, Gibbs set a punishing rate, only slowing for a few strokes here and there to stop himself from coming.”

Skin slapped on skin and sweat beaded on slicked bodies. Neither had any idea how long they continued. Jethro was determined to prove his stamina was better than _anyone_ Tony had ever had before.

Suddenly, Gibbs pulled out and flipped Tony over. “I wanna see your face when you come.”

With, added lube and another smooth action, Gibbs was back inside Tony, pounding away. All the time he kept in eye contact with his lover.

“Touch yourself,” he instructed.

He watched Tony capture his bouncing cock and give it a shuffle.

Gibbs looked down to see himself disappearing into Tony’s body. Damn, it looked as good as it felt. He then turned his eyes to Tony fisting his cock. The sight of the purple head playing peekaboo spurred Gibbs on to snap deeper into Tony, roll his hips and repeat the action until the sounds that filled the room were positively feral.

“I’m gonna come,” Tony yelled.

“That’s it, Tony. Stroke hard while I pound the cum out of ya.”

Gibbs upped his tempo, from hard to hard and fast.

He watched as Tony closed his eyes. He opened his mouth, and his neck strained. Then, with a roar of ecstasy, white ribbons pumped from Tony. The sight was so erotic Gibbs could no longer hold off his own completion. Each time he pumped into Tony he held his hips there, giving each spurt its time to finish before repeating the action for the next, and the next and the next pass.

Shattered, Gibbs slumped on top of Tony.

Tony held Gibbs inside him while they got their breath back. But, time was moving on, and Gibbs didn’t want the superglue effect to take over.

After several tender kisses, Gibbs encouraged Tony to let him slip out. He then led his lover to the shower before some much-needed sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for this week. Another chapter next week. xx


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony returns to the office.

Chapter Eleven

Monday morning arrived, and Tony was in the office extra early working on his backlog. He was in the middle of signing off on another folder when Ziva walked in. The impression she was making of a lemon-sucking sea horse, told Tony that she was surprised to see him and deliberating over her options of approach.

“Welcome back, Tony.” She nicely used for starters.

Tony replied with a perky, “Good to be back, Ziva,” followed by his patented grin. He then closed the folder and slapped it on his completed pile.

“Catching up on your paperwork, no?”

“That obvious huh? Yes, I am. And only mine. I’ve put the files you slipped into my pile, back on your desk.”

Ziva immediately whipped her head around and spied the extra folders on her desk. “All of those cannot be mine,” she harrumphed, and sat heavily on her chair, throwing her bag into the corner.

Still sporting a smile, Tony rambled, “Oh yes they are, you naughty little ninja. It was only my body that broke in the blast, not my brains. Though, I’ll admit to getting the occasional headache – you know those that get you right over the eyes...”

“Tony!”

“Oh yeah. Well, apart from the fact that I have a list of all my files on my computer, and those numbers weren’t on it; in your written work as well as your verbal communications, there are little idiosyncrasies that are all Ziva.”

“Like what! My use of the American language is fine.”

“Fine, yes, good, no. And I’m not your English teacher or translator. Now, if I have your supreme permission, I’d like to get back to work.”

Ziva was so shocked at Tony’s change of attitude towards her that she sat down and fired up her computer before opening the folder at the top of the pile.

A couple of hours later, what remained of the MCRT were at their desks when Nicky Jardine appeared at the photocopier behind Ziva. Tony fumbled around in his drawer and stuffed something into his pocket before shouting, “Agent Jardine!”

Everyone at their desks looked up. The linguist froze in her position while Tony smoothly slid up to her. He stood a few inches away and gave her his calculating sideward appraisal. “Beautiful Miss Jardine, can I interest you in a chocolate bar from the machine downstairs?”

Nicky looked at him suspiciously, while he continued. “I promise to be a good boy. I have some wipes and my gloves with me.” Tony produced a pair of classic blue thin latex gloves from his pocket.

Tony waited a few seconds while Miss Jardine sported a look of, what the hell. DiNozzo prompted, “Come on Nicky, I promise you won’t regret it.”

That was when she spoke, “I very much doubt that.”

Nevertheless, she picked up her papers, and when Tony indicated a ‘Ladies first’ gesture, she walked ahead of him.  Tony left the bullpen with a hand on the small of Jardine’s back, and a number of agents gaping after him. Gibbs crunched his jaw and resumed his paperwork.

“He wastes no time, does he not?”

“No, he doesn’t.”

..oOo..

Within seconds of Tony returning they were called out on a case.

Gibbs put down the phone and announced, “Grab your gear.”

When Tony threw his bag over his shoulder, Ziva looked at him strangely. “You are not restricted to desk duty?”

“Gotta knack for stating the obvious today haven’t ya, Ziva.”

Tony used the journey to point out all the laws of the road. Gibbs played his part and reprimanded his SFA. But, Tony only stayed quiet for a minute before his continued his onslaught. He knew he’d pushed it to the limit when Gibbs threatened to let him out without stopping the vehicle.  Ziva seemed to like that.

Tony knew he wasn’t missing an opportunity to be sarcastic towards the Mossad Officer, but he had a few years of catch-up to do, and from Fornell’s investigation, he didn’t have much more time to get his digs in. Also, he couldn’t resist poking the viper. At least that was his mood of the moment. Who knew what he would feel like doing another time?

At the scene, Tony dialed things down. A marine had been found dead in an alley behind a nightclub. The scene was processed with maximum efficiency. Following Gibbs’s barked orders, they soon had everything bagged, tagged, photographed, measured, and fingerprinted.

On the way back to the yard, Tony stopped the lessons of the road and theorized about life, the world, and the universe. Before the car came to a stop, Ziva had the door open and was en-route to the bullpen.

Her attempt to escape Tony’s whit didn’t last long as, the moment he was back at his desk, he never missed an opportunity for a remark.

For example:

“What are you going to try and impress me with today Ziva? I already know to swear in ten different languages.”

“Oh oh, I know that look. It’s the – I do not understand Gibbs, look.”

There was always the well used, “This is how we do it in America, Ziva. It’s called due process.”

“Sorry Ziva. Playing with your knife isn’t as intimidating as you think. You’ll never get to play with my balls. Their brass content has recently increased.”

“Look Ziva – it doesn’t matter what I say, you’re not gonna understand it, or agree with it.”

That was when Ziva did the only thing she could. She turned to the only man at NCIS that she believed had any worth. ““Gibbs are you going to let him talk to me like this?”

Gibbs needed to keep up the show, “He has a name Ziva,” Gibbs prompted, but continued with, “DiNozzo, gag it. Going for coffee.” Then, as he passed he gave Tony a slap to the back of his head.

Tony looked up in surprise. “Damnit Gibbs. What are you, the rubber man? How’d you reach that far?”

With one man down and another in Abby’s place on the forensics, Gibbs stayed suitably gruff and put Ziva on the searches. She was not happy about it, but was appeased when Gibbs told her he wanted her ten fingers searching instead of DiNozzo’s two.

It wasn’t long before they had some suspects. Ziva was left in the office while Gibbs and Tony went on the road. When the two of them were in the car Gibbs had the chance to ask, “Is Nicky on board?”

“She is. I gave her a phone and Toby’s number. She has evidence of suspect talk over the airwaves but hasn’t come forward, as none of it made sense. She wanted to listen some more before raising the alarm. I dare say she’ll be filling in quite a few blanks. With her helping, I don’t think it’ll take much longer for Fornell to build an airtight case.”

“What do you think about her longer term?”

“What? Are you thinking about MCRT – long term?”

“Maybe.”

“As long as you’re prepared to have her dumpster jumping in a Hazmat suit with a detox team on standby, then yeah. That being said, she’d be perfect on every other aspect of the job. If you can find a workaround for the dirtier aspects, then I think she’d be great. She has a lot of positives.”

“Not everyone has to tick all the boxes, Tony.”

“True. In that case, go for it Yoda.”

“Who?”

“Master Jedi – never mind. “

Once the interviews at the base were completed and the searches done, three men were brought into custody. Two were friends of the guy who they believed should have got the girl and not the marine. The third was the wannabe lover who messed everything up. The girl had temporarily gone to ground. Apparently, everything came to a head in the nightclub after an overdose of alcohol favored fists over brain power.

With the case blown open, the girlfriend eventually appeared at the Navy Yard of her own accord. Tony escorted her to a conference room, settled her in with a coffee and stayed with her until Gibbs took over.

Tony returned to his desk, “I can see why there was a fight over her,” he murmured, not speaking to anyone, in particular, “She has one helluva figure, beautiful hair, and gorgeous eyes.”

Ziva, not willing to be outdone, rose from her seat, pursed her lips and stuck her nose in the air until she rested her hands on Tony’s desk. What little cleavage she had was in Tony’s eyeline. Ziva lowered her voice as well as her eyes in an attempt to look sexy. “Are there other packages here that you like, Tony?”

Tony looked up and around, “There’s no one in the office at the moment that has the package I like.”

Ziva mewled like a cat and ran a finger under Tony’s chin. “Are you sure about that? You seemed rather taken with Agent Jardine. I’m sure there are others who fit the same invoice.”

Tony, moved away from her finger, shook his head and laughed, “Oh Ziva Ziva Ziva. There are too many universes to count that separate you from what I like.”

“Oh, I doubt that Tony. You have chased my dress for years.”

Tony rose from his seat and towered over the Mossad officer. He leaned in and stared at her with cold eyes, “And right there is just one of the reasons why I’m the best at undercover.”

They stayed locked in each other’s gaze for a few seconds before Tony straightened up and shouted with a smile, “Balboa, my contact came through for ya.” He ripped a page from his pad and pushed passed Ziva to hand the note over to the grateful agent. “If that works, I expect flowers or at the least chocolates on my desk.”

“You got it, Tony,” Balboa said, chuckling.

Once again the quick change in Tony’s demeanor had wrong-footed Ziva. This was not the pre-explosion Tony she knew and thought so little of. He’d given her a glimpse into someone more dangerous than she expected.

Elsewhere, neither person saw who else was spying on their encounter.

That night at his flat, Tony received a text from a known number – MATA HARI IS CONFUSED AND SEEKING ADVICE – DC ADDRESS. HOOK ONE.

Tony and Trent had discussed possible accomplices, and some information had come to light as a byproduct of Fornell’s snooping.  Tony could see the end and he was eager to push for that end. But, between that time, things were going to get somewhat confusing for those who didn’t have the whole picture; which meant everyone except Tony and Trent.

..oOo..

While the dead marine was a guest of Ducky’s, Gibbs had taken the opportunity to ask the man’s advice about their _other_ suspect’s personality. He’d been advised that if certain hands were forced, and allies cut off, then things would indeed come to a head, and quickly. Though, in what way, Ducky couldn’t predict. Ducky surmised that the perpetrator was a narcissist, liked the control and didn’t appreciate threats to it. The nature of the beast meant intimate knowledge of all aspects of the military, was a given, and Anthony had been singled out as the most probable danger to losing that control. At least that part Gibbs already knew.

When Gibbs returned to his desk and assessed the mood of the personnel around him; it seemed as though Tony’s body language coupled with his not so subtle sarcasm, had changed the atmosphere in the bullpen. Within a few days of being back, the man already had whatever plan he was up to, in full swing. Tony wasn’t hanging about, and that scared Gibbs – especially as he had no control. He didn’t like being on the sidelines of an operation. Since they’d made love, Tony hadn’t returned to Jethro’s bed either, which made the man even grumpier. Maybe that was the idea; in which case Tony was playing him well.

Gibbs passed Ducky’s information to Tony via the regular exchange of folders between SA and SFA. He had to trust Tony more than ever and hope for the best outcome.

..oOo..

The next day saw another escalation of events.

The elevator dinged and out walked Trent Kort. He sauntered into the bullpen and Tony immediately stood and got into the man’s face. Around the office, the hate between the men, was well known. “What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded between gritted teeth.

“Believe me DiNozzo, I’m not here by choice. My bosses want to borrow you, and I’m here to pass on their regards to your director.”

As quick as lightening, Tony swung a fist that connected to Trent’s jaw. It sent him sprawling. “Regardless of the director’s answer – that’s mine.”

“DiNozzo!” was shouted by two people at the same time; Gibbs, from his desk and Director Vance from the mezzanine.

Gibbs looked up to the director; he pointed to, dusting-himself-off Kort. “You deal with him. DiNozzo’s ass is mine.” When the director nodded his agreement, Gibbs turned to Tony. “My office – NOW.”

Tony and Trent scowled as they passed each other.

The moment the doors to the elevator closed and the switch flipped, Jethro had Tony pinned against the wall with his body – arms above his head. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but seeing you deck Trent was beautiful.” He then captured Tony’s lips in his and ravaged him.

It was all Tony could do, to keep his moans quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some awesome stories out there and I am truly enjoying reading NCIS and Criminal Minds FFn. However, writers be careful - I see the word smirk used a LOT, in it's wrong context. For the majority - A smirk is a smile evoking insolence, scorn, or offensive smugness. It can mean silly too, but the majority say scorn.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning Slash. And something else is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not long, but it's the beginning of the final sequences.

Chapter Twelve

Tony was eager to have Jethros’ hands all over him. He wanted to make love to the man and be made love to - again and again. Elevator sex was most definitely on his to-do list. The prospect of Jethro pinning him up the wall pounding into him had Tony panting and ready to make a mess in his trousers. At the time, though, Tony knew what state the bullpen would expect them to be in when they exited the elevator. Tony needed to get them to that place, using the most efficient method at his disposal. That said, Tony was enjoying the sensation of Gibbs’s lips nibbling at his jaw, down his neck, then, returning to his mouth.

Tony was caught between want, need, and circumstance.

He wanted to taste Jethro, so he forced his tongue into Jethro’s mouth and took control.

Tony needed Gibbs in so many ways. He needed his brain, his body, his love, and at that moment he needed his submission. Tony expertly undid Gibbs belt, lowered the zipper and roughly shoved two layers of material south.

Circumstance made Tony about-turn them, and he pinned Jethro to the wall. The bump of the maneuver would have echoed up the shaft. Tony tore his lips away from the sublime delicatessen of Gibbs’s mouth. The man tried to pull Tony back but stopped in his tracks when Tony sank to his knees.  

Tony didn’t waste any time going down on his man. Using strong lips and a twirling tongue, he left no part of his lovers cock untouched. Alternating between cheek and throat, he worked Jethro. He played with the man’s balls while he sucked, leaving Gibbs a gaping mess. When he deemed the timing right, Tony, sucked a finger, moved his hand behind Gibbs and found his rear rose. As he took Gibbs deep into his throat and swallowed around him, he slipped the tip of his finger into Gibbs’s ass.

Gibbs thrust forward with his hips and covered his mouth with one of the hands that had been on Tony’s head. He bit down on his fist to muffle the sound of ecstasy and shuddered as he pulsed. Gibbs’s other hand gripped Tony’s shoulder, hard. The stemmed yelp in Tony’s throat vibrated around Jethro’s cock encouraging the last of his seed to vacate his body.

Tony sat back on his ass while Jethro sank to the floor – his ass bare and his trousers still around his ankles. “Tony… I… damn… that… never… wow… you.”

Tony chuckled and wiped the side of his mouth with his hanky, “Just as the functional mute was finding his voice, I silenced him again.” Gibbs rolled his head and looked at Tony’s face then down at his groin. “Don’t worry about me. To pull this off, I needed you with a smile on your face and me frustrated. Unfinished sex will do that.”

“You planned this.” It wasn’t a question. It was more of a statement.

“Sort of, but not this part. I wasn’t about to pass up body-time with my lover. That is too damned tempting. The result is what matters. I will need some relief later, though.”

Gibbs smiled, and crawled over to Tony, his flaccid cock dangling invitingly with each movement. That alone gave Tony ideas. It was like a pendulum sending him into a trance. The number sixty-nine appeared in his minds-eye. It was only Gibbs pulling him into another kiss that broke the spell.

When they parted, Tony arranged his hanky in his underwear so that any leakage wouldn’t come through.  Gibbs stood and made himself decent.  “What’s next then Tony?” All was back to business.

“We get out of here. You with a smile on your face and me suitably frustrated.”

Being the professionals that they were, they tucked, tidied and gave each other a final kiss before putting on their game faces and turning the power back on.

Gibbs exited the elevator at a deliberate pace, with pursed lips and a satisfied look on his face. Tony trailed a little way behind, grimacing and rubbing the shoulder his lover had gripped. To the bullpen, it seemed as though Gibbs had doled out some concentrated justice. A few scowled at the prospect, knowing Tony was a good guy. But, Ziva had a smile on her face. Trent was nowhere to be seen.

Word around the cooler was that Mr. Kort had left as swiftly as he arrived. All Vance would say was, “They’re going to SecNav.”

..oOo..

The next case that came in involved a Marine whose family were held to ransom in exchange for secrets. It took the understaffed team ten days to solve, but they got the job done and the Marines family back unharmed. During that time, around the office, Tony deliberately kept to himself to give the illusion he was still out of favor. Though he refused to let slip, his barbs towards Ziva.

“Don’t forget Ziva, we want them alive. Maim if you have to, but don’t kill.”

Another time it was, “Write your report in Hebrew or Arabic then use the translator. It’ll be more accurate.”

As expected he received a few head slaps. Occasionally, Gibbs left his hand there longer than needed. Tony enjoyed the compromised caress.

The case that followed came to them on Friday afternoon. It was light, but, everyone had been given the all clear to go home early. They were all on different routes when they were diverted to an aircraft carrier. A marine hadn’t reported for duty. The ship had delayed as long as possible and made all the relevant follow-ups before calling in NCIS. Lieutenant Fotheringham had left his house to report for duty but never arrived.

Gibbs, Ziva, and Tony arrived at the USS Bush in their individual cars, which given past experience made Tony’s gut churn.  Keeping his eyes open and his senses attuned to the many vantage points overlooking the ship, Tony made his way on board.

The MCRT gathered the relevant information before heading toward the Lieutenant’s home. Like many Naval bases, there were only a few ways in or out. And, there was really, only one viable route to the Fotheringham’s home. Tony smelled set up. Which was further confirmed when he received a text out of the blue from Brad saying – BE CAREFUL BABE.

Before setting foot on the ship, Gibbs noticed Tony’s awareness of his surroundings. His gut was churning too, and he found himself in a quandary. Stick to Tony’s side or let it play out. Not that he had much choice, after all, Tony reminded him of his special role of fishing bait. The question was who he was going to catch. Later, Gibbs almost obeyed the speed limits en route to their next venue.

Two roads out from their destination, Tony took a hard left. He overcooked it a bit and lost his steering. He slid from left to right, sending a few small stones from a nearby construction site flying. But, it didn’t take it long for him to regain control. Tony put the experience down to nerves and soon arrived at the off base, small house owned by the Marine and his family.

It wasn’t until he exited his vehicle that he noticed that one of the stone chips was deeper and blacker than the others. It lay by his rear wheel arch between the fuel tank and the door. Tony immediately headed for the cover of the house and announced to Gibbs, “Checking the perimeter Boss.”  He didn’t give Gibbs a chance to reply before he disappeared around the other side of the building. Once safe, he retrieved his _other_ phone to send a message to Trent. However, before he got to hit send, he received an incoming text. DO NOT ALERT ANYONE. THREAT NEUTRALIZED.

Tony took a deep breath to calm his hammering heart. Tony knew Trent was keeping tabs on him and from the message, Tony believed the bullet to his car related to his situation rather than the missing marine. Either way Trent had taken care of it. Though, nothing could be ruled out. Also, given the circumstances, there was the possibility that the whole thing was a setup.

Gibbs was inside with Ziva interviewing the family. So, Tony continued his search of the outside to see if there was anything that didn’t fit. All the time he couldn’t help looking up to the surrounding area. When he’d completed his exploration, he joined everyone inside. Gibbs gave him a pointed look of ‘everything okay’, to which Tony gave him a small nod.

With the family interviewed and a list of acquaintances to look into, the three returned to the yard.

It wasn’t long before a BOLO came through. The missing Marine was found, three hours away. He’d been drugged up on Rohypnol and left bundled on the back seat of his car in a blanket. To anyone passing, he looked like he was sleeping off something. The man was taken to the local hospital, and his car towed into NCIS where Abby’s stand-in was let loose on it.

Unsurprisingly to Tony, the vehicle had been wiped clean. Later, they found traffic camera evidence that proved that someone else had driven the car. A person clad in a hat, scarf, big coat and sunglasses. In other words unlikely to be identified. What with the marine being unable to remember a thing other than a prick to the neck, it was looking likely that the case was destined to be a cold case.

..oOo..

As the team had worked over the weekend, the MCRT was given Monday off.

Tony had spoken to Trent. As the man had shown his face at NCIS and given earlier events; they agreed distance was safer.  Therefore, Tony spent most of his time at Gibbs’s house, enjoying the physical side of the promise the man had made in the elevator.

Tony ambled into the office on Tuesday to find Ziva talking heatedly on the phone in Hebrew. Tony sat and studied her tone and expressions. The lady was not happy.

Eventually, Ziva slammed down the receiver, while using a number of expletives that Tony didn’t need a translator for. She then gathered her coat and left.

Tony looked over at Gibbs. “What’s up Boss?”

Gibbs studied Tony’s wide eyes, and a twitch graced the side of his mouth. He turned back to his paperwork with the words, “Amit Hadar has been found dead on US soil.”

“Well, that can’t be good.”

“Not for Hadar.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm guessing there's some confusion at the moment. There is reason for the madness and all will become clear soon. xx


	13. Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. RL did a number on me; then I lost my muse for a while. Have no doubt, though, this story was always going to be finished.
> 
> I suspect many of you had a WTF moment after the last chapter. It was short, confusing and threw in a few spanners. Hopefully, this next chapter will sort some of it out. It's only short, but I've posted it so that I don't have 13 chapters in the final story. Only, 1 possibly 2 chapters left.

**Chapter Thirteen**

The next morning, Tony arrived at the office to find Ziva going through his drawers.

“You won’t find anything I don’t want you to find.”

In an unusual moment of blindness, Ziva hadn’t noticed Tony exit the stairwell. She spun around knocking her hip on the edge of Tony’s desk and cursed even more when the drawer closed on her fingers. Tony couldn’t help a little chuckle.

“Tony!”

After clenching her teeth, a smile graced her face.

Tony, was confused. Only recently, the woman was ready to blow a gasket, and overnight, she had shed that persona and was smiling at him. The whiplash effect had nothing on what Ziva was capable. It was possible that her actions were akin to whiplash with tornado sirens going off.

As things stood, Tony had his game plan. With the demise of Hadar, Tony and Gibbs met up with Ducky, where future strategy was discussed along with some updated information.

Apparently, Hadar had been playing the spy game of fishing. He’d been given clearance and the freedom to offer services, with the aim of turning allegiance, or purchasing future favors from those ranked as important. If those services also removed a thorn in the side of Mossad, then it was considered a bonus. Only, this time it looked like Hadar’s adventures had snagged a shark. It was Hadar who had been played and consequently bitten.

His loss was a blow to Israeli intelligence, but it wouldn’t be for long. As far as they were concerned, ‘you win some, you lose some’. Nevertheless, Ducky was sure the event would put Tony higher on the Mossad, watch list.

While Tony observed Ziva’s body language, he realized everything he and his friends had spoken about was true. Her performance was proof of that. It was obvious that she’d had orders. There was no other reason for her to be smiling at him.

“Tony, I … I was looking for an alternative address for you. I have come by your apartment frequently, and you have not been there.”

At least she’d admitted to stalking his place. “Why’d ya come around? Did you miss me, or didn’t consider my leash to NCIS short enough?”

“No, not at all Tony. I was concerned for your recovery, and wondered if I could cook you a meal.” _Oops there goes a pig flying over the Washington skyline_ , thought Tony.

Tony, smiled and ran his fingers through his hair, “Wow, four sentences and no need for corrections, maybe you can handle the American language - when it suits you?”

Ziva ignored the barb, and slinked towards him, “What do you say, Tony? A lovely home cooked meal, wine, and who knows?”

There wasn’t a single part of her proposal that didn’t alarm Tony. “Sounds wonderful, Ziva. But, I’ll pass.”

Ziva wasn’t ready to give up. She stepped to within an inch of Tony and ran her nose up his lapel – she couldn’t reach any higher, “You smell delicious Tony. I’m sure we can come to an amicable arrangement.”

First, Tony dropped his bag to the floor and used the opportunity to ensure there were no sharp objects, including paper clips within reach. Then, he circled his arms around Ziva and drew her into him. He leaned down to her ear and whispered, “Tempting Ziva, but I’d like to make it out of your apartment alive. And, I’m in a relationship.”

Unfazed, Ziva stayed where she was, “So that is what has kept you away. One of the nurses fell for the handsome man with a gun, huh. Hum. Oh Tony, while I’ll admit, yes, I have been tempted to kill you in the past. That was the past. I’m sure I can offer you more than your current lady. I am ready to act on the fire that has burned between us all these years.”

“Oh, there were flames, Ziva - cold ones, like a Bunsen Burner. I love a good battle. I can’t help it.” And that love for a battle had almost seen his demise, “But, you don’t have the attributes that’r right for me.”

Ziva leaned back to look Tony in the eye. “And what are those Tony? Large breasts, a thin waistline and the equivalent of a tavern for legs. That will not sustain you for long. I have more to offer than that.”

Tony didn’t doubt she had more than her description, but he had no need for a dominatrix and the sense that each night may be his last. Though, he suspected she’d be quite inventive in her assassination; a gun up his ass, a poisoned paperclip, or some slow-acting lethal chemical in his shampoo. Tony closed the distance between them again.  “You couldn’t be more wrong Ziva. You don’t have a penis, balls or the know-how, to keep me blissed out for hours on end. Nor do you have the insight to keep me happy for a lifetime. And, I won’t accept anyone into my personal life that is probably following the orders of her daddy. That is wrong on so many levels.”

Ziva shot away from Tony like she’d been electrocuted. “You…” She pointed her finger at him, “You are…”

At that moment, Gibbs walked into the bullpen, with his usual purposeful stride and a coffee in his hand. “Gossip times over. Back to work.”

..oOo..

The moment Tony disappeared to the chocolate machine and Gibbs went to refill his elixir of life; Ziva made her way up the stairs unaware that Jimmy and Ducky were patched into the security system - watching.

Ziva stormed straight into Vance’s office. “Did you know about Tony?”

Vance threw down his pen, removed the toothpick from his jaws, and reclined in his seat. “Is it a mental transference of Gibbs’s manners when it comes to knocking, for anyone on the MCRT?”

“I do not understand what you mean, director.”

“No, I don’t suppose you do, Miss David. What don’t I know about Agent DiNozzo?”

“That he is in a relationship with another man.”

“Define relationship.”

“As in, how did Tony put it… blissed out for hours on end… type of relationship - with a male partner. Sexual intercourse, relationship. Umpapa, I think I have heard some call it. He is in a relationship where his partner has a penis and balls, director.”

Vance held up his hand to stop Ziva’s rant. “I believe you have made your point, Miss David. Agent DiNozzo is in a homosexual relationship.”

“Yes, that too.”

“The last I heard, DADT was no longer in play, unless you know different, Miss David. And as this is a civilian agency, it doesn’t apply here, anyway. Agent DiNozzo isn’t breaking any departmental rules. Do you know the identity of his partner?”

“No, but whoever it is, helped him recover. He admitted that he’d been away from his apartment because of his lover.”

“Is that so? Well, thank you for the information. The next time a survey is sent out, I’ll make a point to see if Agent DiNozzo has changed his sexual preference. Goodbye, Miss David.”

Vance watched as Ziva turned so quickly toward the door, her ponytail would have whipped someone. Damn, that woman was a pain in his ass. She was like the precocious child everyone had to tolerate. Vance was sure that he wouldn’t just be doing NCIS a favor by getting rid of Director David’s daughter. The lady hadn’t turned out to be the operative her father dreamed her to be. Vance was sure that, by the time the mêlée over her impending arrest settled, and the political fallout dealt with, Mossad would be thanking him. Or, he could use some connections to get her back to Eli, never to grace US soil again. There were options.

What bothered Vance more was the revelation over Tony’s sexuality. In an age when the alphabet soup was on a mission to prove they were not homophobic; the minute the news got out over Tony’s change in preference, sure there’d be flack, but they’d also be clamoring to promote him to a position of power. And, Tony was NCIS through and through. He couldn’t see SecNav letting Tony go to another agency. Vance started looking through the vacancy notices to see if there was something appropriate for Agent DiNozzo.

While he looked through the files on his computer, he picked up his phone and dialed, Fornell.

..oOo..

While at the chocolate machine, Tony received a text from Jimmy.

YOU DON’T WASTE ANY TIME. M’S WITH TP NOW

Tony smiled. He knew M stood for Mata Hari, and TP stood for Toothpick. Tony was in no doubt that Director Vance would soon be chewing one. He replied to Jimmy.

NO POINT. IT’S TIME TO FORCE THE ISSUE. I WANT THIS OVER WITH. I WANT MY LIFE BACK.

As Tony hit send, his stomach churned. Yes, he was taking back control. Yes, he had an excellent, trusted team with him. And Yes, the adrenaline of the big finish was playing a part. But, he still felt sick. He’d also come out of the closet. He felt as though his head had molasses running through it instead of blood, and he wanted to find a hanky and blow it all out. So, instead of doing a Fonzie to get the chocolate out of the machine, he headed to the roof.

Tony made it to the roof without vomiting. He headed straight for a ledge where there was a camera blind spot. But when he looked over and took a breath, nausea moved from behind his nose to envelop his eyes too. It was a weird sensation that sent him giddy. Tony turned in his spot and slid to the ground. He closed his eyes and took some deep breaths.

A while later, Tony felt a familiar body sit beside him.

“How’d ya find me?”

Tony felt a shrug, “I know you.”

Tony, squeezed a peek at the man next to him.

“You don’t have to shoulder this on your own, ya know,” Came the soothing tones of Gibbs’s voice.

“I’m not. I’ve got you, Trent, Fornell, Jimmy and Ducky.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do. But, I need the control, Jethro. I need to take back what I lost.”

Gibbs threaded his fingers through Tony’s. “And you are. I’m not going to take over. Just let me help more than I am.”

“What if it all blows up in my face? I don’t want you caught in the crosshairs. I took the opportunity to make waves. It wasn’t quite what we had planned, but it seems to be working. I came out to Ziva. ”

“I’m already caught up in it, Tony. And I don’t want to be anywhere else. I’ve played my part in creating it. Now, let me help you make it better.” Gibbs didn’t voice his concerns over Tony coming out of the closet, but, it certainly did the trick. And, if Tony was happy with that then Gibbs, sure as hell was going to stand by him.

Jethro put an arm around Tony’s shoulders and drew the man to him. Tony rested his head on his man’s shoulder. “What’s going to happen when it’s over, Jethro. Everything’s already a mess. Tim won’t be back. Ziva is destined for a life behind bars. Abby is on another planet – figuratively speaking. The MCRT will be decimated, and God knows what the repercussions will be of everything else.”

“It’s called, cleaning house, Tony. It won’t be the first or the last time it happens. They sealed their fate with their own actions Tony. It’s testament to your skills that they were discovered. Besides, you’re not one to run from a fight.”

“I’m not running, Jethro. Just figuring out the enormity of it. It’s hit me all at once.”

“Okay, then we sit and reflect, understand what’s happening, and come to terms with it. But whatever action we take, we take it together, as a team. For a long time, the MCRT was you and me. We’ve done it once. We can do it again.”

“Damn, that’s a lotta words from a functional mute.”

Gibbs circled his other arm around Tony’s front and kissed him on the head. Tony’s return of humor was a good sign. “Now that I have you, I’ve got something to talk about.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gibbs makes his play.

**Chapter Fourteen**

For a few minutes, Tony and Jethro enjoyed the silent reassurance of their lips upon each other.

When they broke apart, “How do you want to proceed?” Gibbs asked.

“Well, judging by Ziva’s reaction to my sexuality, I could continue down that line. I have no intention of staying in the closet – not anymore Jethro. I’ve hidden for far too long. So, this could be an exercise in seeing who is homophobic and who lives in the twentieth century. Who knows, we just might bag ourselves an assassin in the process.” Tony blew out a breath. “I just want this finished, Jethro. It’s been a blast, but I’m getting tired.”

“If I thought it would speed things up, I’d happily kiss you in the middle of the bullpen, with everyone watching. But I think we need a more focused approach. With Hadar out of the way, how about we target our audience. At least to start with.”

Tony looked at Jethro mouth agape before a beaming smile appeared. “I like the sound of that.”

Gibbs touched noses with his man, and whispered, “Do you trust me, Tony?”

 “Without reservation.”

The men made serious eye contact. “Okay. Then, you keep your radar on, but let me take the flak for a couple of days. I promise I won’t do anything you won’t approve of. And if I do, I’ll let _you_ give _me_ a head-slap.”

Tony laughed, “In that case. Have at it. I can feel my palm tingling already. It’d be worth it to see the reaction of the bullpen if I head-slapped you.”

Gibbs laughed along with Tony and gave him a final lingered kiss on the lips before they helped each other up and returned to the bullpen.

..oOo..

Ziva was already at her desk when the men walked in smiling at what seemed to be a private joke.

“I see you found the dessert.”

Tony and Jethro looked at each other and burst into fits of laughter. Gibbs squeezed Tony at the back of his neck before the men separated towards their respective desks.

“I do not see what is so funny?”

Tony sighed and wiped his eyes before replying, “Oh Ziva, many a true word said by mistake. But, I believe you meant deserter. And Gibbs knew exactly where to find me. I didn’t abandon my post.”

“I do not understand what you are ferrying to?”

“Referring to – and I’m not about to explain it.”

Ziva turned to her boss, “Gibbs?”

Gibbs held his hand up in a ‘leave me out of it’ gesture.

..oOo..

Later, they were called out on a case.

Firstly, Gibbs shocked everyone by telling Ziva to fuel up instead of Tony, who he threw the keys to when they got down to the garage.

Then, as they worked to bag, tag, take photo’s and statements; within sight of Ziva, Gibbs laid a hand on the small of Tony’s back and said, “Good work, DiNozzo.” That earned Gibbs a, Tony inflated chest, a broad smile, and a “Thanks, boss.”

Later, Gibbs evened things out by buying both Tony and Ziva a drink. The wide-eyed confusion on Ziva’s face said everything Gibbs needed. She was questioning things, but more importantly, he had her attention. Gibbs just hoped her reporting habits remained constant.

Gibbs fully intended to keep the lady unbalanced, but he surprised the whole bullpen when he announced he was leaving early.

As per Tony’s request to force things, yet in keeping with their targeted attack, Gibbs patiently waited behind a column in the garage. He didn’t have to wait long before heard Tony’s footsteps. He grabbed his man and pinned him against the column. He held Tony in place with his body and took his mouth like a starving man. He knew he had Tony’s full attention when he felt Tony’s fingers card the back of his neck. But, Gibbs needed Tony to be completely oblivious to the world around him – at least for now.

Gibbs long black coat help shield Tony from exposure while he deftly unzipped the access to the rod he wanted. He expertly massaged everything Tony had, in minimal time the man was keening into Jethro’s mouth. Finally, Gibbs heard the sound he wanted. He continued his assault on Tony’s genitals for another minute before he broke away. “I think we should finish this at home. Can you drive?”

“You’re an evil man, Jethro. It’s a good job I’m driving an automatic; else I’d mistake the gear stick. But, as long as you promise to pound me into the mattress the minute the doors closed, I’ll manage.”

“Atta boy.”

With a final kiss, the men hastily made their way to their cars and burnt rubber exiting the car park. En route to his vehicle, Gibbs didn’t miss the distinct perfume of Ziva. People often forgot that smell could be as good as eyesight when identifying the whereabouts of a person.

..oOo..

Gibbs held true to his promise and pounded Tony into the mattress. The activity was such that the headboard left marks on the wall, and the legs of the bed wouldn’t take much before they splintered. Their reinforcement was a job Jethro was glad to add to his list of home improvements.

In the afterglow, while hot and sweaty and panting for breath, Tony turned towards his lover. “That was, something I’ll remember, babe. Now, did you get the response you wanted out of Ziva?”

Jethro smiled, “I should’a known you wouldn’t miss anything.”

“My senses have become even sharper since being on an assassin's hit list. I don’t care about the inspiration – the results were phenomenal. I’m gonna be feeling you inside me for days.”

Gibbs donned a cat got the cream satisfied look on his face.

“Well,” Tony prompted.

“Only time will tell, what she’s gonna do. Might get a visit tonight. Might not. I’ll take first watch. I’ll wake you in a couple of hours.”

“Okay.”

While Gibbs waited, he called Fornell. Things were coming to a head, and he wanted Fornell ready to move in on Ziva.

..oOo..

Nothing happened that night. But, when Gibbs arrived in the Bullpen with Tony on his shoulder, he realized he _had_ forced the issue. As they walked around the corner, Ziva was waiting, and she struck Gibbs across the face hard enough for him to see stars.

“How could you?” she yelled, “And with Tony of all people. He is an abominable.”

“Abomination,” Tony corrected.

Ziva shook his comment off. “… who has dragged you into his twisted sex games. You are better than this Gibbs. You cannot lie with another man. You cannot belong to Tony.”

As Ziva swung her arm again to strike Gibbs, he dodged the fist. But, Tony caught it in his hand. And in a swift move, reminiscent of arresting drug crazed perps in Baltimore, Tony had Ziva pinned to the desk, unable to move. Initially she protested and was about to pull a Mossad maneuver when more than several guns were cocked in her direction. Tony retrieved his handcuffs from his waistband. “Miss Ziva David you are under arrest for assaulting a Federal Officer, and I’m sure I’ll find a bunch of other stuff soon, too.”

At that moment, Fornell strode towards them, “No need Agent DiNozzo. I have a long list of ‘other stuff’ to charge her with, including espionage against the United States Of America.”

The five men in black flanking Fornell had the bullpen going silent. Not that they already weren’t that way from the first slap.

“Toby, good to see you. Excellent timing. I’d give you a hug, but as you can see, my arms are a little full with Mata Hari here.”

Fornell replaced Tony behind Ziva. “I’d best take her off your hands then Tony.”

“I’d say I love you, but you know our relationship is purely platonic.”

Tobias played along. “Of course, but if Gibbs ever fucks up, you know where my door is.”

As Fornell passed Gibbs, he put his arm out. Instead of his usual whisper in the ear that no one but the recipient could hear, he spoke out loud, “Love is a precious thing Ziver - no matter the gender of those involved. If you’re ever lucky enough to have it, hang onto it with both hands. I’ve been fortunate to find it with Tony, and you have no right to sully it with your out-dated poison. If you don’t agree with it, fine. But, keep your opinion to yourself, and,” Gibbs stepped closer, “never, ever try to tell me what I should or shouldn’t be doing, or with who. Get her out of my sight, Tobias.”

Everyone stood still while the FBI manhandled a squirming Ziva to the elevator. Gibbs could feel the hairs on the back of his neck go on end. He looked up to see Vance at the railing.  He then turned to the rest of the room, “Anyone got a problem?”

There was little response. Most were still in stunned silence – including Tony. Gibbs knew what would get a react. He’d already achieved his primary objectives. To tick, another of the list was a bonus. He held his hand out to Tony, who warily took it. Before the man knew it, he was in Gibbs’s arms kissing. It didn’t take long for Tony to wholeheartedly respond, to the catcalls, and a few grumbles, from those around them. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Gibbs had claimed his man.

When they separated, Vance was gone.

Tony mumbled, only for Gibbs to hear, “Three green bottles hanging on the wall, one got arrested and then there were two. It’s gonna happen soon isn’t it?”

“Yup. The last play is yours Tony. Just let me and your army know what you want us to do. We’re ready.”

..oOo..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N I thought this was going to be the last chapter, but I guess not.


	15. chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final Chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As with anything I write fan fiction wise, I do not own anything relating to NCIS or its characters. Nor do I profit from anything that is posted regarding NCIS or any other series.
> 
> I am beyond gutted to hear to Mr Weatherly is leaving NCIS. All I hope is that CBS decide to give him his own spin-off series. More inspiration for more juicy story lines. If not I hope we get to see Michael on the screen again soon in a venture that makes him happy.

**Chapter 15**

For the next few days, the atmosphere surrounding the bullpen was strange. Tony and Gibbs seemed to be the only ones able to continue working without interruption. There was a mixed reaction from others in the building. If security footage could have gone viral, the one with Tony and Jethro kissing would have.  No one outwardly dared to scorn the Tibbs relationship, but a good portion openly congratulated them. Albeit they usually waited for Gibbs to be on a coffee run before they approached Tony. A few kept their heads down and mumbled, and the odd brave soul candidly questioned Tony’s mental state for taking on Gibbs. At such times, Tony laughed.

Considering, Ziva had been arrested by the FBI, any scandal concerning Miss Mossad was conveniently sidelined. The gossip over Tony and Gibbs was far juicier, and Ziva’s dramatic exit was relegated to the backwaters of the head.

Speaking of, the head. Whenever, Gibbs and Tony exited the little boys room together, a room of eyes quickly returned to their paperwork. At least, they did until one such time when Tony stood on his desk and whistled. “Guys.” He waited for their attention. “Please, enough with the stalking. We are not gonna fuck in the head; it’s unsanitary and unprofessional. Get a life, and for those of you who haven’t got one, I can recommend some good porn channels or gaming sites.”

Things somewhat eased after that. Gibbs smiled and shook his head. Subsequently, the only difference to the actions of Tony and Gibbs was that they arrived and went home at the same time. Throughout the days of transition, both men spied Vance watching them. To onlookers, it was as if he was monitoring the situation before making a ruling.

Fornell had his hands full, processing Ziva, and the ever vigilant Trent had reported that Vance had fielded several calls from Eli – all of which ended in stalemate. The evidence the FBI had was irrefutable, and Vance had to point out that Ziva getting caught was due to her superiority complex ignoring certain facts. Eli didn’t like it but had no choice but to accept it. After that, Vance handed the matter over to SecNav.

Ducky and Jimmy had a handle on any gossip, and with Tony in the office, Jimmy was in charge of reporting any movement in trackers.

Change began when, Jack called Gibbs to inform him that he’d woken to find Abby gone. At the same time, Jimmy called Tony to say that her tracker had gone offline at five AM that morning.

At eleven AM Gibbs got a call. “Gear up, DiNozzo. We got a body.”

“Where, Boss?”

“Abandoned building, downtown.”

Both men gave each other a significant look, before opening another box. They fixed their ankle straps, retrieved more clips for their guns, and slid in an extra knife.

Before they left, Tony pm’d Balboa. “If we don’t call in soon, after an hour, come find us. He sent the agent their call co-ordinates, who acknowledged their receipt as Tony headed for the elevator.

As standard, Gibbs called Ducky, but instructed him to keep a distance until they were given the all clear.

..oOo..

On approach to the scene, all looked fine. The local police were standing guard and cordoned off the gateway to the building that, by its shabby looks, had been used for many things in its lifetime.

While flashing his credentials, Gibbs grunted at the LEO, “Where’s the body?”

“Second floor.”

Tony followed the example of his boss and flashed his badge. “Has the area been searched?”

“What for?”

“Oh, I don’t know - other people in the building? Anything suspicious?” Tony was annoyed at the lack of efficiency, or was it, pride in the job.

“Didn’t see the point. The call came in saying there was a Navy guy dead in the building. As soon as we verified he was Navy, we called in you guys. We know you like to do your own evidence, so we cordoned off the entrance and thought it best to leave you to it.”

The officer wasn’t wrong. In other circumstances, Tony would have thanked him. But, his gut was churning and from the look on Gibbs’s face, so was his.

Gibbs barked, “Don’t let anyone through that gate. I don’t care who they are, or what badge they have. Y’understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Don’t call me sir.” Before the officer could answer, Gibbs and Tony were through the door, with their guns drawn.

The ground floor contained bay areas, most of which were empty, though, some contained Scaffolding and pallets. Each on the others six, they systematically covered the ground floor and found nothing. Two stairwells led up. Through hand signals, they decided to clear the third and highest floor before returning to the second.

Step by step, corner by corner the men ascended. In a series of moves whose timing could only be achieved through years of working together, Gibbs and Tony entered the top floor at the same moment. Acknowledging each other from across the open-plan expanse, littered by antiquated desk partitions the men searched the ex-office area.

Taking the opposite set of stairs from which they arrived, they descended to the second floor, believing that entering through separate doors would make at least one of them, less of a target.

What they found when they stepped onto the plate, stunned them both. Abby was there processing. Gibbs spoke up first, “Abs, what the hell are you doing here?”

In her usual perky way, she looked up and gave her silver fox a broad smile, “Oh heeey Giiibbs. I’m processing the scene.”

“Why?”

Abby looked a Gibbs, with an expression of duh. “Cos I got a call early this morning telling me I was needed back in DC. Then I got another call telling me to come here. I found the bug you planted Gibbs. So sweet of you to wanna look after my safety while in Stillwater, but as I was coming back, I thought it’d be a nice surprise for you. So, I crushed it.”

Tony remained quiet at the other end of the floor and scanned the area. He couldn’t see all of it from his position. Much of it was open plan, like the third floor, but portions of it were blanked off by protective sheeting. He decided that while Gibbs had Abby’s attention by the body of the Marine, he’d carefully check out the rest.

Slowly, Gibbs approached Abby. “How did you get past the LEO’s?”

Abby bounced on her toes. “Oh, that was easy. They were busy watching Ducky and Jimmy talking, and I slipped straight passed.”

“And, who was it that called you?”

“When? Cos I’ve had lots of calls over the last couple of weeks. Mostly from Timmy, and a few from Ziva.”

“This morning,” Gibbs interrupted.

“Ohhh. To send me here?”

“Yes.”

“Vance.”

At the mention of his name Gibbs and Tony went onto high alert. The body was as good as forgotten, as they were certain the scene was a setup.

As Gibbs did a quick scan of the area, Abby looked around too. It was then she spotted Tony. Her mood and tone immediately changed and wasn’t so chipper. “What are you doing here?”

Wary in his approach, Tony was careful yet truthful with his words. “I was called out, like you, cos we have a dead marine.”

“But why? Why are you here when it should be Timmy and Ziva?”

Was it possible, the two renegades hadn’t told Abby everything?

“Well, the FBI doesn’t have anyone with Timmy’s skills, so he’s helping them, and Ziva is with them, too.”

Abby turned to Gibbs, “So you got the short straw, huh Gibbs?”

Gibbs and Tony wondered what the hell had been happening while Abby was in Stillwater. According to Jackson, she’d been saying all the right things and enjoying the family atmosphere. It looked like two wayward agents, and one director had been keeping the Abby prejudices to the fore. That meant that Abby was unstable and could do anything. In short, the perfect human incendiary device.

“Never assume Abs.”

“But Gibbs,” she whined, “Don’t get me wrong I love Tony, but, he could get you killed.”

“I love him too, Abs.”

“Of course, you do. In a father and son way. You’re a caring man, Gibbs.”

Like Tony Gibbs wasn’t about to lie, and regardless of Abby’s mental state she needed to know the truth. Nevertheless, he glanced over at Tony for reassurance. He got a nod in return. “No Abs, I _love_ him - as in romantically.”

Abby stared at her Silver Fox for a minute. Then, she crumpled. “What? No, no. You’re mine, Gibbs. I’ve loved you for years. You bring me caf pow's and kiss my cheek every day. You hug me when I need more than Burt. You protect me.”

Tony felt for Abby. The hurt was evident in her voice. It was harder than being told Santa didn’t come down the chimney. But, time was a ticking, and it was time to push this to a conclusion. He knew what was happening. He shouted out, “Is this your end play, Leon? Huh. Come on out. Get a ringside seat. Or are you going to stay in the shadows, and manipulate Abby into killing me? She takes the blame, and you get off scot-free?”

Nothing could be heard in the shadows.

“Oh come on, Vance. It’s a classic play. The minute you knew I realized what was going on, you inserted yourself into the investigation. Newsflash, Director. I’ve got more toys than you. It didn’t take long to figure it out. You know, you were at the bottom of my suspect list, but then I did some digging, and you soon moved to the top. Show a little backbone.”

That got a reaction. Out of the shadows, emerged a clapping Director Vance – gun in hand.

Gibbs moved closer to the manipulated Abby. This was Tony’s show and his choice on how it played out.

Tony flashed his trademark grin, “There you are, Leon. You know, what I don’t understand, though, is why you saw me as a threat. I’m flattered, but I wasn’t a threat. Emphasis on _wasn’t_. One way or another, throughout your career, the people you saw as a threat to your position, you’ve managed to get rid of. They’ve either moved, had convenient accidents, or something has happened for them to move on or disappear. Nicely done, I’ll admit. It kept the hounds away from your door.” Until that moment, Tony had sounded as though he was giving a review, but he suddenly turned deadly. “But the result was the same wasn’t it – no one in the way of your career. You even roped in that poor bastard, Hadar. What were you hoping for there, an exchange of favors? You get rid of my pain in the ass, and I’ll get rid of yours?”

It was then, the Director chose to speak up, “And that’s precisely why you were a threat. And what with you locking bodies with Gibbs, you’ve made him a threat too.” Vance turned and addressed Abby. “You see Miss Sciuto, he is a danger to your beloved Gibbs. The man will never be yours.”

Abby was like a kettle on the gas; her lid was about to blow. “Tony, you’ve destroyed my family and taken my Silver Fox from me. How could you?”

Tony looked pleadingly at Jethro, before focusing again on Abby. “So you do know what’s been happening?”

“Yes, but I didn’t want to believe it. So, I ignored it. It’s you, Tony. If you weren’t the man you are my family wouldn’t be scattered. I thought I’d be okay, though, cos I had Gibbs. But, you’ve taken him too.” At that, Abby produced a gun and aimed it at Tony. “You can’t have him.”

Gibbs hastily cut in, “No Abs. We’re still a family. Could you really ignore what was happening? They were manipulating you. Vance wants you to be bad. But, Abs, if you kill Tony, you might as well kill me too.”

“But, Gibbs, I love you.”

“And I love you too Abs. Like a daughter. There never would or could be anything romantic between us. I’ve loved Tony for a long time but never thought I could have him. Now that I’ve got him, I’m never letting him go.”

Abby was openly crying, and her hand was shaking. It was evident Gibbs was winning through. That’s when Jethro noticed movement. So did Tony.

At that moment, all hell broke loose. Balboa and his team burst through the door. Shots rang out, and there was lots of shouting. Gibbs felt a bullet whiz past his ear. Unable to get to Tony, Gibbs tackled Abby to the ground, disarmed her, and held her in place while he checked out the scene.

Less than four shots later, all was quiet. Balboa shouted the all clear. He had a disarmed Vance. The Director was holding a bleeding hand and was surrounded.

“Tony! Tony!” The distress in Gibbs' voice was more than evident.

Forgetting Abby, Gibbs moved between the abandoned desks. One of Balboa’s men headed toward Abby.

Gibbs spotted a leg jutting out from behind a cabinet. It wasn’t moving. He all but threw chairs out of the way while he shouted, “Rick, medic. Man down.” He slid to Tony’s side. All he could see was the blood draining from Tony’s body onto the floor – some of it from his head.

Not knowing what his injuries were, he grabbed Tony’s limp hand and kissed it. “Don’t you dare leave me, Tony. Don’t you damned well dare!”

..oOo..

.

.

.

.

.

Slowly, to the telltale sound of machines, Tony became aware of the things around him. The aching sensation through his body and the hiss of oxygen suggested it was pointless trying to talk. He’d experienced the feelings before – he had a mask on his face. The consistent beep, beep, beep of a heart monitor was one he was familiar with too. The drunken numbness associated with what he suspected was morphine dulled his willingness to care. He opened his lids slightly and dragged his gaze over his immediate vicinity, and closed them again when the scenery wasn’t in sync with his line of vision.

Tony wanted to both, laugh and cry. He’d survived again. But, this time, it was the end game, and he’d come out the other side of it.

There was a heavy presence in his hand. He cracked open an eye, and as he slowly forced his gaze down, he saw familiar silver hair resting on the side of his bed and fingers from a familiar hand entwined in his. It took all his effort, but Tony managed to squeeze. Gibbs was immediately awake – smiling. He pressed the button for the nurse, and before she came, he placed a tender kiss on Tony’s head.

The door opened and in walked someone who definitely wasn’t a nurse. “We really do have to stop meeting like this Tony. After this, I hope I don’t have to patch you up for a very long time. You should take better care of him, Gibbs.”

“That’s the plan,” came the weary, yet enthusiastic reply.

Brad turned to Tony again, and once he checked all his readings, perched on the bed, “Well, you _are_ going to walk out of here my friend. You got kissed by a bullet on your temple. So, you’re going to have quite the headache for a bit. You got winged pretty good too, but it was a through and through. There’s some bruising to your ribs too where it looks like you hit something solid on your way down. The good news is, _if_ your tests come back negative, I’ll only make you a guest for another twenty-four hours and then you can be on your way, with the usual restrictions of course.”

Tony didn’t have the energy to answer, so he did a barely there thumbs up and Brad was on his way.

Later, Tony’s mask had been replaced by a nasal cannula, and he was more alert.

“What’s the lowdown?”

Gibbs leaned in and tenderly kissed his man on the lips. Tony purred into the touch. “How are you feeling?”

“Like someone shot me in the head.” Tony tried to make light of it, but he winced. “Honestly. I don’t remember much. Once that sucker hit me, everything went blank. I remember you talking Abby down, and Rick turning up early, and then all hell breaking loose.”

“Yeah. Rick turning up early had something to do with a certain CIA agent. He used his access to NCIS and sent Balboa an urgent message. His team heard everything and got it recorded.”

“What about the Marine, Vance, and Abby?”

“Ducky has Abby in a psychiatric ward on a temporary order. Rachel Cranston is taking her on. The Marine – I don’t know, another team is taking care of it. I’ve been here.” Gibbs leaned in for another kiss. “As for Vance. During his transfer to a secure facility, someone got to him. He was dead before he hit the floor – sniper.”

“So, it really is over?”

“Yeah.”

Tony slumped back into his pillows.

“Thank you for being there, Jethro.”

“Wouldn’t a wanted to be anywhere else.”

“Now get your ass on here.”

..oOo..

When Brad made his next round, he found the men fast asleep, Tony tucked into Gibbs’s side. Both sported contented looks.

He went outside and sent a text to Trent– **All’s well in paradise. You’d better take me there too, tonight.**

**The End**

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - Okay folks, that's it. Hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for all your wonderful comments, kudos and attention. It has been truly appreciated.
> 
> Will be concentrating on writing my new novel for a while, but I'll be about. If you like short original free stories, please visit my website www dot taylinclavelli dot com. They range from five-hundred words and up.


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